Description

BECK HEAD
1.
5166
No 8 (Fountain House)
formerly listed as Nos 6 and
8 (Fountain House)
SD 6078 NE 5/5 12.2.62
II GV

2.
Mid C18 house. Two storeys. Stucco with stone dressings. Slate roof. Five bay
symmetrical composition. Plinth. Chamfered rusticated quoins. Modillion cornice
with blocking course. Windows with plain stone surrounds and sashes without glazing
bars. Doorway has three-quarter Ionic columns, pulvinated frieze, modillion cornice
and pediment. Six panel door. Rectangular fanlight. Low stone wall across front
with small stone gatepiers from which springs wrought iron arch. The rear is of
rubble, with quoins and kneelers. Windows with plain stone surrounds, sashed with
all glazing bars. Large staircase window with plain surround, its lower half sashed
with all glazing bars, upper half a fixed Gothick head considerably wider than the
jambs with intersecting glazing bars. To left of this small staircase window with
glazing bars lights back stairs. Plain doorway with four panel door, top glazed.
Interior. Decorated consistently with Classical motifs intermixed with Gothick.
Doors of six raised and fielded panels, and similar shutters, throughout. Room to
left at front has Ionic cornice, and elaborate wooden chimneypiece with consoled
cornice and Gothick cusping in frieze. Room to right at front has large plain oval
recess in wall. Front hall and staircase separated by wooden arch with large frets
on jamb and soffit. Room at rear has fitted cupboard to right of altered chimney-
breast. Main staircase with Ionic modillion cornice. Two flight dogleg open string
stairs and landing with turned balusters, moulded brackets and ramped moulded hand-
rail. Elaborate queue on columnar newel, from which issues another short rail and
queue which runs back to level of back door. The other newels are square, sunk
panelled and linked to each other or descending rail by trefoils. Parallel and
adjoining runs back staircase, with four flight dogleg closed string stair and
landing. Turned balusters and simple handrail. First floor room at front on right
has elaborate wooden chimneypiece. Probably contemporary inner chimneypiece of
wood with Rococo embellishment. Heavy collar roof.

Listing NGR: SD6105078761

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26438938

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

• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)