Description

TQ 16SW
5/l16

BOROUGH OF ELMBRIDGE, Esher,
CLAREMONT PARK
Claremont House

(Formerly listed as Claremont)

14.8.53

GV I

Country house, now the Claremont-Fancourt school. 1770 by Henry Holland, Lancelot
(Capability) Brown and John Soane for Lord Clive. Yellow brick, stone plinth and
dressings with hipped slate roofs. End stacks. 2 storeys over basement with attic
under flat roofed dormers. Rectangular, 9 bays by 7 around central,top-lit staircase.
Main front: 9 bays with ashlar string course over basement, modillion cornice with stone
balustrade to roof. Glazing bar sash windows in stone surrounds projecting hoods and
cills on scroll brackets to first floor, alternating triangular and segmental pediments
over ground floor windows, all with balconies below. Central doorcase under segmental
pediment, double(half-glazed) doors with oval tracery to transome light above. Centre
three bays behind giant portico of 4 Corinthian columns on plinth with arched passage
under, approached up a flight of 22 steps. Dentilled pediment with coat of arms in
tympaneum and paterae in freize.
Return fronts: 7 bays with central 3 bay brick dormers to roof on stone brackets across
centre three windows of first floor, central window in pedimented surround. Ground floor
centre window in balconied, half Ionic columned surround with segmental pediment over.
Rear: 4 fluted giant pilasters to centre 3 bays, triangular pediment above. Rusticated
triple arched terrace to centre of ground floor with curved flights of stairs to ends
and wrought iron balustrade.
Interior: Entrance Hall- rectangular with inset oval ceiling and triglyph freize on 8
red scagliola Doric columns, oval patterned stone floor. Square, oblong and oval relief
panels over doors and niches, oval relief of the "Forge of Vulcan" in the marble fire-
place surround. Anthemion freize to main, pedimented, doorcase.
Staircase hall- square with double arched screen to left. 2 storys, arched niches to
first floor. 6 panelled doors in moulded surrounds, geometric freize to first floor.
Drawing room- Gilt palmette door surrounds to panelled doors, niches on left hand wall.
Dado panelling with white and green stone fireplace, Ionic ¾ columns flanking with freize
over.
The White Room- Dado panelling, plasterwork panels to walls and delicate low relief
ceiling plasterwork with central rose and garlanded urns.
The Gold Room (Library)- Gilt anthemion freize to bookcases and ceiling. Fine scroll
plasterwork in panelled ceiling, white marble fireplace.
Blue Room- coved ceiling with fan and foliage plasterwork, carved and moulded door surrour
Assembly Room (The Great Drawing Room):Deep coved ceiling with scroll freize, divided
into three with central oval, fielded panels to walls. Original fireplace with two end
caryatids.
PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND, SURREY (1971) ppl6O-1.
SUMMERSON. J. :ARCHITIIITURE IN BRITAIN 1530-1830. p457.
DOWNES J.K. : ENGLISH BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE (1966) p84.

Listing NGR: TQ1342863328

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Claremont at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q1095337

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
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  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)