The Arches, Hedon, East Riding of Yorkshire (and a move to Essex)

In the Victorian age, many churches were rebuilt or renovated in the very latest taste. One of these was St Augustine’s at Hedon, east of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Here, the architect G.E. Street oversaw the work, part of which included the replacement of the window in the south transept. But the ancient traceried window removed during the works was to get a second and even a third life elsewhere…

The history of the window was far from transparent, but guest blogger the Garden Historian has gone to great pains to establish the facts and enlighten readers.

The story starts with William Thomas White (1822–1888), who, by 1857, was managing the family firm of fruit brokers in Hull (founded by his father in 1837) and had moved into a property in Hedon (pronounced head-on) that would later become Lambert House, so-called after his late mother’s maiden name. 

At some point White developed an interest for things antiquarian. When the historic Citadel at Hull went out of use and was subsequently demolished, many of the ‘Very Valuable Materials’ were sold at auction from January 1863. One of these was an entrance arch from the time of Charles II (the keystone has his cypher), which White acquired.

White was active in local and parochial concerns, and in 1866 a scheme was set in motion to restore the town’s only remaining medieval church. The initial phase of work, which involved fitting a new window in the south transept, took place between 1867 and 1869 and the old window made its way to White, no doubt helped by the fact that he was active on the church’s Restoration Committee.

By 1874, both the arch and the window had been re-erected in the garden of Lambert House, as noted by The Hull Packet and East Riding Times which reported on the parish church school festival that summer:

‘The procession wended its way to the beautiful grounds of Lambert House, and passing through the ruined arches into the croquet lawn, the children were seated on the raised terrace which surrounds it’.

Croquet hoops aside, other embellishments were added in the grounds, some from uncertain sources but all in keeping with White’s antiquarian leaning. When he enlarged the house, various stones and smaller architectural fragments that he had collected were incorporated into a room, ‘The Dungeon’, which remains today. 

Lambert House descended through the family until it was sold in 1931, but by that date the garden features had been removed by one of White’s grandsons, Joseph Dalton White (1881-1974). He had purchased Lea Hall, near Hatfield Heath in Essex, and it was there that he re-erected the two ‘arches’, plus another piece of salvage that may have come from Hedon (all listed Grade II).

And there they remain. When visited in 2023, Lea Hall looked like a building site, probably because that’s exactly what it was due to major restoration and renovation work taking place.

The grounds and its features are part of the Lea Hall refurbishment plan, and so are likely to delight and cause curiosity for many years to come.

Other salvaged windows have likewise become features in gardens across the country, and it has to be said that the town of Hedon has more than its fair share of architectural remnants used in such a way… but these are stories for another day.

Lambert House is now a guest house and function venue, but is usually open for Heritage Open Days in September.

Thanks to the Garden Historian, aka Dr Michael Cousins, for researching these garden ornaments and giving the Flâneuse a week off. And thank you for reading. Please scroll down to the comments box to share any thoughts.