Description

PARISH OF DALE ABBEY LOCKO ROAD
SK 43 NW
5/17 (North Side)
2.9.52 Locko Park
GV II*

Country house. 1669, c1725-30 attributed to Francis Smith of
Warwick, mid-C18, late C18, 1804, Italianate style additions of
1853-6 and 1861-4, both by Henry Stevens of Derby, and 1896.
Ashlar and rendered brick. Hipped Welsh slate roofs behind
solid and balustraded parapets. Various ashlar ridge and
lateral stacks. One, two and three storeys. Four ranges around
a courtyard. South elevation has a three storey main block of
c1725-30. Divided into 2-5-2 bays by giant rusticated
pilasters. Moulded plinth, moulded eaves cornice and
balustraded parapets with urns. Central Tuscan Doric porch.
Doorway with moulded surround and C19 half-glazed doors.
Flanked on each side by four glazing bar sashes in moulded,
keyed, architraves. Nine similar windows above and above again.
The chapel of 1669 projects to the left. It has two keyed
round-arched windows to south and one to east. Horizontal
hoodmoulds linked to the keystones. Solid parapet inscribed in
bold lettering in Latin, 'My house shall be called the house of
prayer'. Matching projecting wing to the right of the main
block, probably mid-C18. Similar round-arched window to the
west, but to the south are two glazing bar sashes in keyed
moulded architraves. Parapet with latin inscription. Irregular
west elevation. Shallow gabled end elevation of chapel to
right. Tall ashlar doorcase with a segmental pediment similar
to the County Hall, Derby of c1660 and hence possibly by the
Surveyor, George Eaton. The parapet has a gothic arch in the
centre to form a bell-cote. Three bays to the left have early
C19 sashes, a doorway and two large tripartite sashes.
Projecting wing to left of 2-6-2 bays, two storeys, with glazing
bar sashes. Parapets with inscriptions and dates 1804 and 1896.
Rising from the centre of the west elevation is a tall
Italianate tower of 1853. This has various stringcourses and to
the top stage tripartite groups of round-arched windows to each
face. Balustraded parapet and angle piers. Irregular east
elevation. To the left is a large Italianate porch of 1861-4
with sculptures of birds with outstretched wings at the corners.
Three bays to the right with single bar sashes set in large
segmental pedimented architraves. Balustraded parapet. Three
bays to the right again wtih mullioned windows. Taller four bay
wing to the right again, of 1896. Segment headed windows to the
ground floor, flat arched above. Courtyard elevations are of
stone and red brick. Mostly with mullioned windows to the
ground floor and C19 sashes above. Interior: Entrance Hall has
a painted ceiling by the brothers Andreotti of Florence.
Top-lit picture gallery with dado, dentil cornice and painted
ceiling by A Romoli. Drawing room with rich late C19
chimneypiece, gilded cornice and trompe l'oeil painted ceiling
by A Romoli. Doorcases with fluted surrounds. Dining room with
coved and carved ceiling and cornice painted by Romoli. C18
chimneypiece. Cantilevered open string staircase of c1725
(probably altered in the C19). Carved tread ends and three
balusters per tread, two turned and one twisted. The old hall
has a monumental chimneypiece with a Gibbs-type surround of
alternating projecting blocks. Panelled dado and doorcase with
carved friezes. Boudoir has early C19 panelling painted in the
early C20 by Cavalieri G Bacci VeJliti and P F Santini. Painted
ceiling. The library has a segmental arch and bookcases with
fluted friezes. The chapel retains its C17 coffered wooden
ceiling. Pulpit of 1669. C17 wooden baluster font. Schnetzler
chamber organ of 1779. The chapel was refurbished in 1882 by F
J Robinson and again in 1899. The remaining fittings are C19.
Three stained glass windows of 1900 by Powells. The billiards
room has a large marble chimneypiece and a ceiling painted by G
Bacci Veneti and P F Santini. The first floor landing and
several bedrooms have C18 raised and fielded panelling and
bolection moulded chimneypieces.

Listing NGR: SK4096738648

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Locko Park at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q6665708

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)