Description

WEST DEAN CHICHESTER ROAD SU 8612-8712 (south side)

33/216 West Dean Park 19.7.85 (now West Dean College)

- II*

In 1804 James Wyatt built a house here for Lord Selsey on the site of an older building. This was greatly enlarged by Sir Ernest George and Harold Peto for it D James in 1893. Of Wyatt's building the facade of the west wing, to the left of the main entrance and of the porte cochere, survives more or less intact. This has 2 storeys and 5 windows, then a tower of 3 storeys and one window, and then one more window bay of 2 storeys. It is built of knapped flints with a castellated parapet over it. Casement windows with stone mullions and transoms. The original pointed window and gable over the front door has been replaced by a tower. To the east of this was a corridor on the ground floor only leading to another tower of 2 storeys with sash win- dows having pointed heads. This has been filled in by the east wing built in 1893 but the pointed sash windows of the tower survive, though this is now of 3 storeys instead of two. Attached to it behind is a round turret con- taining a circular staircase. The service wing behind also dates from Wyatt's time. Almost the whole of the interior was remodelled in 1893 in the most sumptous style of that period though partly in imitation of French eighteenth century decoration. But some of the chimney pieces of 1804 sur- vive in one or two of the less important rooms. There is also a subsidiary staircase of this period. King Edward VII stayed here frequently with Mr & Mrs William James, who were great friends of his.

Listing NGR: SU8616912575

External Links

• West Dean House at Wikipedia
• West Dean House official website
• Wikidata Q17553646

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

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)