The Cotman Collection | The South Door of Arminghall Hall, Norfolk; lithograph by Vincent Brooks after a drawing by John Sell Cotman

John Sell Cotman

The South Door of Arminghall Hall, Norfolk
1871

Artist: John Sell Cotman, British, 1782 - 1842
Associated Person: Vincent Brooks,
Title: The South Door of Arminghall Hall, Norfolk; lithograph by Vincent Brooks after a drawing by John Sell Cotman
Date: 1871
Object name: Drawing
Medium: Lithograph on wove paper
Support: Heavyweight, white, wove paper
Dimensions: Support: 270 mm x 160 mm
Mount: 324 mm x 225 mm
Reference: LEEAG.1949.0009.0814
Credit Line: Bequeathed by Sydney Decimus Kitson, 1949

This is a lithographic reproduction of a graphite drawing by Cotman of a wooden Gothic double doorway, each with three traceried panels below, and two tiers of keyhole apertures above, all surrounded by a decorated border. The doors are fitted into a stone, shallow-arched portal with moulding above, and with a sculpted panel showing a rider being dragged from a horse by a lion. The print reproduces a signature lower left 'J S Cotman' and is lettered neatly at the lower right with the credit line 'Vincent Brooks lith. Londo'.

The print was issued in 1871 by Vincent Brooks, Day & Son in a series of 'Nine Examples of Pencil Drawings and Five Examples of Sepia Drawings after Cotman' for the use of schools in connexion with the Government Department of Science and Art. The Leeds collection contains several examples from this series.

The original drawing is at the USA, New Haven, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection B1975.2.524 and once belonged to Sydney Kitson. Kitson catalogued the drawing in the MSS list of his collection preserved at Leeds Art Gallery as no.806 'The South Door of Arminghall Hall, Norfolk'. The drawing formed part of his bequest but was one of a significant group of architectural subjects that were given to the Royal Institute of British Architects. Kitson was secretary of the Institute from 1928. In 1975 it was decided to sell the drawings and they were bought by Paul Mellon, who in turn gave them to the Yale Center.

Kitson bought the drawing from Henry A Bulwer in May 1934. He was a descendant of Cotman's friend, pupil and patron the Revd. J Bulwer. The drawing must still have been in the Bulwer family collection when it was lithographed by Brooks. In his MSS list notes Kitson recognised that the lithograph must have been made from his drawing.

The drawing formed the basis of an etching that Cotman made for a series of 'Castellated and Ecclesiastical remains in Norfolk', and the plate is dated 1816 and inscribed with the information that the subject was sketched in 1811. The doorway represented here lay inside an exceedingly elaborate porch which was the subject of another of Cotman's etchings, that of 'The South Porch of Arminghall Hall', etched by Cotman in 1813 as pl.21 of his series 'Architectural Antiquities of Norfolk', published complete in 1818

Arminghall Old Hall formerly stood about three miles SSE of Norwich town centre. It was in a parlous condition when Cotman sketched it. The decorative stonework originated as part of an early 14th century archway at the Carmelite Friary in Norwich which was reused at Arminghall Old Hall in the second half of the 16th century. Arminghall old hall was demolished about 1908 and many of its features carried off to Crown Point the home of mustard magnate and Cotman collector, Russell J. Colman.

For an account of the hall cf http://www.mingayhistory.co.uk/mingay_manor.htm.

'This Hall was probably built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First by one of the MINGAY family, most likely William MINGAY (obit 1564) for we find, 3 Eliz. That he was a citizen & alderman of Norwich and had a lease of the site of the manor from the Dean & Chapter of Norwich, also that, in 4 Eliz., as a farmer of the Manor of Arminghall held his first Court. The Priory of the Carmelites at Norwich, after their Dissolution, was demised (24 Eliz.) for 1000 years, and by the same mesne assignments came into the possession of Anthony MINGAY of Norwich and it is supposed that it was he that brought from that Priory the beautiful South Porch with its inner Door together with other architectural remains of the 14 & 15 century. All of which were incorporated into the old building …'. Then follows a description of the Hall and ends by saying 'The Hall after belonging to the MINGAY's, passed into the ownership of the firstly HERVES, secondly the PRIMROSE families, and now (1907) belongs to Russell J.COLMAN, of Crown Point. Until last year, 1906, it was divided into two cottages but being much dilapidated it was taken down.' Upon hearing of this I (John Grey MANNING) wrote to Mr R.J.COLMAN and expressed a hope that the many objects of archaeological interest had been preserved, and received from him a reply in which he said "it has been the object of both myself and my architect to preserve every piece of carving that was possible".

For illustrations of the Porch at Arminghall Old Hall see COTMANS' "Architectural Remains"; WILLIS', "Old Halls & Manor Houses of Norfolk" - 2 plates, "Excursions in Norfolk". From these illustrations and the examination of the Old Hall it can be seen that it is a building that has grown in stature & size rather than designed.

The question how did the priory come to be in the ownership of the MINGAY family may be answered, in part but not conclusively, by two references both basically saying the same thing, namely that "Edward VI. In the seventh year of his reign, anno 1552, July 21, granted to William MINGAY & William NECTON, of Norwich, gents, to hold the Manor of East Greenwich, in Kent, by fealty only, the rectory & church of St. Peter Mancroft in the city of Norwich; and all tithes of the same, with all their appurtenances, free & discharged of the pension hereof due to the Abbey of Gloucester, and they by deed dated March 1 in the same year conveyed the whole to Richard CATLYN, serjeant-at-law. For the sum of £510 3s 10d the said King conveyed to William MINGAY & William NECTON and their heirs, the advowson of the rectory of Shotesham St. Mary & St. Butolph, lately belonging to Pentney Priory etc.". So one can see that during the dissolution the King sold off much of the property he so gained to various people, hence it may be surmised that one of the properties was that of the Carmelite Priory in Norwich.

The establishment of the fact that the Arminghall Arch was an 'add on' to the Old Hall can be given to the researches and article of P.G.LINDLEY in which there are several photographs & drawings of the Old Hall and its Arch. His thesis goes on to show that the stone work was created around 1325 and that an inscription on the doors relating a William GLADYN having had the doorway made in 1487 according to his will dated 1479, being more proof that the porch originated much earlier than the Old Hall at Arminghall. Furthermore that author goes on to point out that after many resting places the 'Arch' has found a new home, it has been built into the new Magistrates Court in Norwich and serves as the main entrance to the courts. However the associated doors of the 'Arch' now are in the entrance passageway from the Orangery to the Physiotherapy Hall at Crown Point, Trowse Newton, now Whittleham Hospital, having been placed there by R.COLMAN around 1905. Other sources indicate that Crown Point was original built c.1865, later acquired by J.J.COLMAN (of Colman's Mustard fame) and subsequently enlarged for R.J.COLMAN in 1902-1905, final the state being sold in 1955 to become Whitlingham Hospital.

The south porch 'after many resting places the 'Arch' has found a new home, it has been built into the new Magistrates Court in Norwich and serves as the main entrance to the courts.', This consists of the Flanking two tiers of sculpture and the arch itself, but the decorative panels above are not present. The same source says 'the associated doors of the 'Arch' now are in the entrance passageway from the Orangery to the Physiotherapy Hall at Crown Point, Trowse Newton, now Whittleham Hospital having been placed there by R.COLMAN around 1905. Other sources indicate that Crown Point was originally built c.1865, later acquired by J.J.COLMAN (of Colman's Mustard fame) and subsequently enlarged for R.J.COLMAN in 1902-1905, the estate finally being sold in 1955 to become Whitlingham Hospital.' The hospital is now closed and the buildings converted to private housing (Trowse Magna). It is possible that the north doorway and the missing panels from the south porch might be located there. The principal scholarly source is: Lindley, Phillip G. 'The Arminghall arch and contemporary sculpture in Norwich'. Norfolk Archaeology, 40 (1987), 19-43. Publisher: Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society. ISBN 01427962.

Cf. 'The Telegraph' of 21 October 2001: 'With its strait-laced façade concealing 70,000 sq ft of panelled rooms, Crown Point Hall, overlooking Norwich across the River Yare, is the epitome of the Victorian capitalist's mansion. A cast-iron conservatory the size of a church nave boasts mosaic walls, terracotta panels salvaged from a nearby hall and a miniature Garden of Eden with tubs bearing orange and lemon trees. The bulldozers are active up at Crown Point Hall, too: developers P J Livesey are turning it into 53 apartments. The conservatory, complete with its orange trees, is being turned into a marketing suite. In the panelled rooms, little mezzanine sleeping decks are being built for Norwich's trendies. You can almost hear Jeremiah Colman shaking in his grave at the cheek of it all.' The conservatory is now a communal area.

David Hill, December 2016