On 20 August 1783, Soane travelled to Malvern Hall and made a survey of the existing house of seven bays with a pedimented three-bay centre.   On 4 September were made '2 fair plans, 2 Elevations for the Alterations' and presumably drawing 1 for the north elevation showing the addition of two five-bay, two-storey wings, was made at about that time.  Next came the estimates made 7 March 1784.  At the end of April 1784 Soane exhibited a design for Malvern Hall at the Royal Academy that has not survived. Site visits and further drawings for house and offices continued to be made until about 6 August 1786.  However, later (2 May 1798, SM Journal 1781-1797) Soane sent a design for the most remarkable of his works at Malvern Hall.  It was for what he called 'a Barn à la Paestum', a building with four pairs of Doric columns, all of brick, which still exists though no drawings have survived.  

There are references to site visits, expenses, drawings in SM Account Book 1781-86, Ledger A, p.20 and Journal 1781-97. 

Soane's Plans, elevations and sections of buildings, 1788,  has three plates: plate IV, a 'Plan of the principal floor' differs from drawing 4 in that the ceiling plans are shown, the twin stairs in the new wings are now half-turn with landings instead of flying, the porch has four columns instead of two and the garden stair is larger and square instead of segmental; plate V, a 'Plan of the Basement Storey' is as drawing 3 but with the addition of part of the kitchen court; plate VI, a perspective 'View of the Entrance front' is more or less as drawing 5, both are without the balustrades to the ground floor and first floor windows shown in drawing 1.

P.Dean, Sir John Soane and the country estate, 1999, p.167-8, states that 'The wings were entirely demolished and rebuilt c.1931 when the house became a school.  The attic storey was also removed at this time, its former appearance recorded in painting by John Constable.  Soane also remodelled the core of the original house, and these alterations survive.'

Literature.  P.du Prey, John Soane: the making of an architect, 1982, pp. 10-11, 126-8; D.Stroud, Sir John Soane, architect, 2nd ed., 1996, pp.122-3

John Sanders (pupil 1784-90)

Record copy of Description and Estimate of the sundry Repairs, Alterations and / Additions proposed to be made at Malvern Hall in Warwickshire, / the Seat of Henry Griswold Lewis Esq^re  May 1784    

2 Outside of the Old House //To take down the Balustrades and Cornices all round / the House, and to work and set a new Stone Cornice and Blocking / Course as is shewn in the Margin (thumbnail details of cornice and blocking course and dentil labelled old) : to take up the Lead next / the Cornice and recast and relay the same with proper Lead / flashings: the other parts, the other parts (sic) of the Leadwork to be / throughly repaired in a substantial manner: to take down / the present Rainwater Pipes and put up new ones in more / convenient situations: to repair all the Stone Facias (sic), Window / Stools &c and to cut our the old Stone Dressings to the Windows / and to make good the Brickwork to the same with proper Brick Arches / to raise the Center of the North front and to finish the same with / a Pediment.  New Sashes and frames glazed with Bristol / Crown Glass to all the Windows of the Basement Story, and / wherever the old frames were in Leadwork. // A new Stone portico in the north front with Meredon [Meriden] Stone / Paving Steps, and Pedistals (sic) finished in every respect agreeable / to the Drawing. // Meredon [Meriden] Stone Steps from one of the Windows in the South / front to make the communication with the Lawn // The whole of the fronts to be completely Stucoed (sic)with hard / and durable Materials / continued ///  (p.19 verso) To dig out for and Build the Walls of a dry Area / wherever necessary to secure and defend the lower Offices from / Damps, and to make large Areas to the Basement Windows / and cast Iron Grates to the same. // A Course of Meredon [Meriden] Stone Paving to be laid all round the / House // To examine and clean all the Drains, Cess pools &c // (pencil sketch in margin of ? balustrade) // Drawing Room // To shore up the Floors and Roof and pull down the / Wall ^ ^{(pencil) between} the Bedchamber and Dressing Room and to frame / a substantial Oak Partition well braced, tinss'd (sic), and bolted / together to prevent the external Wall from pressing outwards: / to raise the Floors as level as possible, and to make good / the Joiners work (disturbed by this repair) in every part. / A new floated Lath and Plaister Ceiling in the Drawing / Room and the Ceilings in the other Rooms made good, / to make out the several Cornices wherever damaged or destroy'd: / Lath and Plaister the several new Partitions to receive the / Papering.  To form the Circular end of the Room with / four Inch Quarters and Top and bottom Plates // Staircases // To take down the preasent (sic) back Staircase from the top / to the bottom and also the best Staircase; to take down the present / Wall between the two Staircases and to secure the Roof; to take away the Landing of the best Staircase and to enlarge the same / agreeable to the Drawings; to cut out a Doorway into the / intended back Staircase and another opposite into the Library / to make a new back Staircase out of the present Dressing Room / with the old Materials from the top to the bottom of the House / New four Inch Partition between the Staircase and Water Closet / with Doors, Locks, Hinges &c  New Wainscot Steps & Raisers / to the best Staircase, Wainscot Architrave String board and /// (p.20 recto) moulded Handrail with enriched Ironwork on the Steps. / A new Ceiling and Plaister Cornices and the whole of the Plaistering / and Joiners work made good.  The Walls of both Staircases / to be Stucoed down to a skirting / A Patent Water Closet complete in every respect on the / Bechamber Story / Cut out the Niches in the Wall ('W' corrected in pencil to 'H') & enlarge the opening / To new pave the Hall with new Stone from Warwick, and / a new Glazed Door and Shutter // Library // To make good the Plaistering and Joiners work occasioned / by allowing the situation of the Door // Basement Story // To make the several Allocations proposed in the old House. / so as to render it habitable and convenient, in every respect / agreeable to the Drawings / All the Joiners and Plaisterers work to be thoroughly and / compleately (sic) repaired and reinstated in every part of the House / and all the Locks and Hinges clean'd repaired and laquered. / The Bedroom over the Hall to be enlarged / All the internal and external Wood & Ironwork to be / well and properly painted // Estimate of the above Works amount  to £1380 // Additional Buildings // Digger // To Dig out the foundations for the several Walls, Drains / Cesspools & Reservoirs, Dry Areas &c to fill in & levil (sic) the Ground / continued /// (p.20 verso) Bricklayer // To Build the Walls of the several thickness's and heights / described in the Drawings, to Build the Chimneys and raise / their Shafts sufficiently above the Roofs and to parget the flues; to chase out and Parget the old Walls, to leave all the Apertures / and to turn such Arches and Counter Arches as shall be directed; / to make all the O Drains and Cesspools and to Build a Dry Area. / All the Rooms in new Kitchen Wyng to be Arched over. / Cut Arches to all the Windows // Carpenter. // To frame the several floors, Partitions, Roofs & Ashlerings / with seasoned fir Timber (unless where necessary to employ / Oak) of good and sufficient scantlings properly framed & Bolted / together; to lay in proper Bond Timber, Plates, Lintels, and / Discharging Pieces in the several Walls.  To make Centering / for all the groined ^ ^{(pencil) & other} Arches, Recesses and Appertures of every kind; / Deal Gutters and Bearers wherever necessary.  To form a Cistern / for the Water Closet.  To Board the Roof for Slates // Mason // To work and set all the facias, Cornices and other Stonework / according to the Drawings, with Meredon [Meriden]Stone well joggled / and clamp'd together; Stone Curbs to the Area Window / and a Course of Stone Paving in the front of the Wings // Plumber // To lay all the gutters and Line the Cistern to the Water / Closet with Lead of 7 lbs to the foot; and all the Hips, Ridges / Pipes wherever necessary, and to provide Lead for running the / Cramps and for every other purpose required to complete the / Shells of the these new Wings. /// (p.21 recto) Smith // To find and provide all Chimney bars, bolts, Straps, Cramps, / &c of the best Swedish iron. Cast Iron Guards to the Area / Windows. and an Iron Sky light Glazed with Bristol Glass / to each of the Wings over the Staircases // Slater // The fronts of the Roofs to be cover'd with Westmoreland / Slates, and the Roofs near the Gutters with Welch Slates, the / heads of the Nails to be Coppered // Estimate of the above works amounted to £1703 // It is understood that the rough Oak timber to the value / of £100 is to be had from the Estate and the old Bricks from / the Garden Wall and Greenhouse & fence Walls; all the old / Materials in the Stables consisting of Stone ( and old Iron / Gates &c to the amount of £20) and about half a ton of Lead / Allerly (? alloy) / M^r Haywood says the Bricks will cost Deliver'd at / the Building from £11.6s to £12 per -- (illegible) / Meredon [Meriden] Stone Deliver'd 7½ per foot Cube / (pencil sums to the total of £3213)

Record copies of design (3)

3 Plan of the Basement Story of Malvern Hall / with the intended Alterations and Additions with pencil modifications (by Soane) to partitions, stair etc

4 Plan of Principal Floor of Malvern Hall / with the intended Alterations and Additions with pencil addition (by Soane) of bow window to 1st drawing room

5 Elevation of Entrance Front of Malvern Hall / with the intended Alterations and Additions

6 Elevation and detail of Chimney Piece for the old Drawing Room at Malvern Hall

7 Base & Surbase Moldings full size, Architrave of the two / Windows, the Moldings to stand / on the floor, & not on Plinths and Moldings on the Pannells / of the Shutters for Malvern Hall Old Withdrawing Room

8 Elevation of N^o 4 Pair of these Doors and details of Moldings on Pannels full size

9 Elevation of Hall Door and detail of A. A. Solid Frame already / made

10 Section of the Great Eating Room at Malvern Hall

11 Section of the Great Drawing Room at Malvern Hall

12 Section of the Library at Malvern Hall

xxxx   Ben there should be drawings 13 and 14 here but vanished  phoned 1 June  emailed 2 June - no response    to be deleted when safe to do so

John Sanders (pupil 1784-90)