Description

GREAT FARINGDON RADCOT ROAD
SU 2895

3/5 Faringdon House

10.11.52

GV I

c.1770-85 formal country house built for H J Pye, Poet Laureate. Ashlar and
render. Double pile plan. 2 storeys and attic with basement sunk at south
front, open at north. Hipped stone tile roof with ashlar end wall stacks, 2
small dormers to south, 3 to north. 5-window range of glazing bar sashes.
South front centre breaks forward with pediment, north front is even. Stone
moulded cornice and balustrade around. Ball finials at corners on panelled
piers. Balustrade broken for dormers and central pediment. Moulded stone
architrave surrounds to windows. Rendered wall. To south front: ashlar
basement up to ground floor sill course. Rusticated ashlar to centre with 2
round-headed niches with statues flanking central arched door. Plain band
across. Doorway with moulded arch and pilaster sides. Projecting later stone
porch with Tuscan columns and half-column responds. Roundels in relief in
frieze. Centre first floor treated as shallow recessed giant arch with stone
impost blocks, arch breaking into pediment above. First floor window in moulded
surround with pulvinated frieze and cornice, the surround swept out at base to
wide apron. Arched head attic window above. Stone balustrade in front of
basement. North front with pediments over centre and outer ground floor windows
and wider architrave to centre window. Rusticated ashlar basement floor at
ground level with projecting arcade of 5 elliptical rusticated arches supporting
terrace and fine right-angle stairs up each side with panelled piers and
balustrade. Screen walls flank each front. To south side, quadrant curved with
fine ashlar broken-pedimented doorways flanking house, pediments over recessed
arch with triple keystone, rusticated piers and plain impost blocks. 5 niches
to each rendered quadrant wall. Terminal gateways with ashlar rusticated piers,
wide corniced caps and paired ball finials, missing from easternmost pier.
North side screen walls: straight, rendered with ashlar details. To each side 3
niches in recessed arches with dentil cornices over. Lengths of plain coped
wall between. Central feature has pediment over and those flanking house have
ball finials. Damaged east side feature. Between screen walls are low service
wings. On west side one storey with wall running north-south with 3 coped
gables and stone mullion and transom windows reputedly from previous C16 house.
On east side 2-storey C19 service block with small rubble stone early C20 former
chapel projecting. 2 traceried windows. Interior: outstanding interior with
elegant plan about 2-storey entrance hall with staircase returned from half-
landing over entrance in single flight spanning the centre of the hall. Fine
plasterwork, fireplaces and woodwork.
Country Life: 12 and 19 May 1966.

Listing NGR: SU2879995904

Selected Sources

• 'Country Life' in 12 May, (1966)
• 'Country Life' in 19 May, (1966)

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