Apethorpe Hall and the Workshop of Thomas Thorpe, Mason of King's Cliffe: A Study in Masons' Marks

Apethorpe Hall (Fig. 1) in Northamptonshire, a Grade I listed country house, has been sorely neglected for the last twenty years. It is currently undergoing essential repairs in the hands of English Heritage, a situation that is providing architectural historians with an opportunity to examine the fabric of the building in greater detail than ever before. As part of this project — which will eventually result in the publication of a monograph — the masonry has been subjected to close study, yielding unexpectedly far-reaching results.