Into the picture podcast: The Clocktower

Visitors to the Clock Tower Café at Sewerby Hall can be forgiven for not guessing the original function of the building in which they sit. In the 80-plus years since the Hall and Gardens have been in public ownership the Clock Tower has been refurbished so many times that all its original internal features have been lost. Even its name does not reveal its purpose. The only clues are the tethering rings attached to the wall fronting the courtyard.
The Clock Tower was originally constructed as part of a two storey stable block that was built around three sides of a yard, for John Greame III in about 1810. The original stables of 1714, now occupied by the Welcome Centre and Estate Office, formed the fourth side. Its public aspect, that is the wall facing out toward the south park, has a decorative, centrally placed entrance portico comprising of a pediment supported by Doric columns. The bay windows seen on the building today were not original but were inserted in 1934/5 when the building was converted to a shop.
The construction of the new stables should be seen as part of the overall re-development of the Sewerby Hall estate as the Greame family increased in wealth and status and is part of the same building campaign that saw the wings added to the house and the initial landscaping of the garden.
They should also be seen as a reflection of changing attitudes toward horses, horse care and the increasing prestige of thoroughbred horse ownership over the second half of the 18th century. For a family on the up, like the Greame’s, alongside a more prestigious house a gentleman needed a prestigious stable.
John Greame III was succeeded by his son Yarburgh, who continued his father’s work in developing the house and grounds to befit a country gentleman of his rank. The architect Henry Lockwood was commissioned to make the alterations and his remit included the stables which he physically linked to the house by the archway that separates the south park from the stable yard. It was also Lockwood who added the clock tower in 1847 in the then fashionable Italianate style. The total effect of the alterations to house and stable was to create an impressive façade that belied the physical size of the buildings.
How the stable wing was arranged internally can only be surmised. The portico from the park no doubt represented the family’s means of access, whilst the staff (and we know the family employed a coachman and groom as part of the permanent work force) were able to enter from the rear. There was most likely a central tack or harness room, with stalls or loose boxes to the sides. Above was accommodation for the groom, and a hay loft. A similar layout to this would have been found in the western block, whilst the northern block was used as a coach house.
When the hall was sold to Bridlington Corporation in 1934 work soon began to convert the stables to a new purpose. At the front of the building the Victorian railings were removed, the path was widened to create a patio area and the lawn was landscaped. Inside, the stable furnishings were stripped out and the bay windows were inserted to create a shop front. Since 1936 it has been a shop, a pub and most recently a café. Although the Clock Tower has become far removed from its original purpose, it remains a cornerstone of the estate just as it was at the time of Yarburgh Greame, and for many a pot of tea in the Clock Tower is a vital part of any visit.
Picture credit: Turner's illustrations to Nimrod on the condition of hunters
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