Description

WHITCHURCH URBAN C.P. DODINGTON (south-west SJ 5441 side) 8/60 No. 21 (Formerly listed 1.5.51 as Mansion House) GV II*

House, latterly shop and petrol station, now supermarket. Circa 1725. Red brick with painted stone dressings. C20 flat roofs. 3 storeys with one-storey wings. Stone plinth, chamfered quoins, stone frieze and dentil cornice, central one-bay triangular pediment, and parapet with panelled dies at each end and stone coping. 2:1:2 bays, with central break; 4-pane sashes (C18 glazing bars removed and C20 casements inserted in second floor) with stone cills and rusticated stone lintels with raised keystones. Central first-floor window with cill on 2 shaped brackets, lugged moulded architrave, frieze and moulded cornice, and central second-floor window with cill on 2 shaped brackets, shouldered moulded architrave with shaped top and raised keystone. Pair of large late C19 plate-glass shop-fronts, each with moulded surrounds, fascia and brackets to cornice. Central C18 door with raised and fielded panels (4 rectangular upper panels and 4 triangular-shaped lower panels forming Saint Andrew's cross below, rectangular overlight with geometrical-pattern glazing bars, and stone doorcase with lugged moulded architrave, panelled pilaster strips, and carved consoles supporting triangular pediment, with broken-back centre. Set back one-storey wings, each with plinth and coped parapet. Blocked window in right-hand wing has rusticated segmental stone lintel with raised keystone. Right-hand return front with blocked segmental-headed doorway and blind window. Left-hand wing altered, probably in the late C19 or early C20, with carriage archway consisting of moulded architrave, frieze with half-H panel and moulded cornice. Line of former pitched roof to wings and evidence of higher front wall is visible of sides of main block. Rear: plinth, and plat band between ground and first floors. Segmental-headed windows, now C20 casements. Interior: ground-floor not fully inspected but front rooms largely gutted for shop use. Staircase hall to rear. C18 three-flight square well oak staircase with landings, open string with carved scrolled brackets, moulded nosings, column-on-vase balusters (3 per tread), ramped moulded handrail, and columnular landing newels. Raised and fielded dado panelling with panelled dies and ramps. 2 sides of balustrading, landing balus- trade, and wreathed foot newel (curtail only survives) had been removed at time of survey (November 1986). Venetian window lighting staircase hall, with scrolled brackets supporting cill, panelled antae, triglyph frieze, moulded cornice, architrave to centre light, and glazing bar sashes, that to centre with intersecting Gothick tracery. Enriched plaster ceiling above staircase with moulded dentil cornice, large panel with Greek key ornament and quadrant corners with fleurons, and central ornamental rose (much decayed at time of survey). First-floor lobby with moulded dentil plaster cornice. Wide elliptical archway consisting of panelled antae with moulded capitals, and arch with panelled soffit, moulded architrave and shaped keystone. Doorway into central first-floor front room with lugged moulded architrave, moulded frieze with central panel, and broken triangular pediment. Room with moulded cornice. Left-hand first-floor front room: enriched moulded plaster cornice. Central depressed-arched bed recess with surround consisting of Fluted pilasters, and moulded architrave and keystone. Left-hand front room also with moulded plaster cornice. C18 dog-leg oak staircase from first-floor to attic with landing, open string with cut brackets, column-on-vase balusters (2 per tread), moulded handrail, and columnular foot newel. Doors throughout with 6 raised and fielded panels, panelled reveals and moulded architraves. Windows with moulded architraves and panelled shutters. All first-floor fireplaces have now been removed but the marks left on the walls suggest they consisted of a lugged moulded architrave with frieze and cornice. Old illustrations of this house show that the wings were formerly of 2 storeys with coped parapets. Despite the degree of alteration this is still a fine example of an early C18 house and retains much of its sumptuous fittings and ornament Whit church Area Archaeological Group, Whitchurch Remembered, ill. 51.

Listing NGR: SJ5430041256

External Links

• Wikidata Q17540682

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Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)