Buntingsdale Hall

Buntingsdale Hall was first built for Bulkeley Mackworth and the Mackworth family between 1719 and 1721. The plans for the building were drawn up by the London architect and surveyor John Prince, although it was completed by Francis Smith of Warwick. Herbert Mackworth later sold the hall to his cousin William Tayleur, who subsequently owned the property for many years. He gives his name to Tayleur Drive, the road that leads to the hall. Buntingsdale Hall was for many years (possibly since the group's formation in August 1943) the location of Royal Air Force HQ 22 Group. Although by 1969 there was a modern kitchen serving the original dining room in the north wing, there were few other…

The house is dated "1721" on the lead downpipe straps. It was extended and altered by Samuel Pountney Smith of Shrewsbury in 1857. It is a three-storey red brick building with red sandstone ashlar dressings, featuring some fluted pilasters and a Corinthian stone doorcase consisting of pilasters, each supporting a section of an entablature. The rainwater heads are emblazoned with the Mackworth arms and crest, and an acanthus ornament at the junction of pipes and cornice, and straps have the initials "BM" and the date "1721". The north wing is dated to 1857, with identical east and west fronts, when the staircase was moved and the full-height entrance hall was created. The entrance hallway…