Description

ROBOROUGH
SS 51 NE
8/179 Wansley Barton
-
II

Barton, now house. Probably C17, remodelled and enlarged in the early C19. Some
minor late C19 and late C20 alterations. Uncoursed stone rubble, with some red brick
dressings. Rendered gable end to rear, said to be over cob, and mostly painted to
rear too. Rendered slate-roofed porch to front and stone rubble outbuildings to rear
with monopith corrugated-iron roof. Stone end stack to right with brick shaft, brick
end stack to left and brick axial stack to rear wing.
Plan and development: L-plan. Three-room plan range, facing south-west, possibly
formerly with a through passage between the central and right-hand rooms (see opposed
doors). Late C17 dog-leg staircase to left of entrance in the central room, probably
altered or a later introduction (see balustrade of top flight against wall, and
blocked front window visible from the half landing). Early C19 two-roomed plan
kitchen wing projecting at right angles to rear of the right-hand end room and
probable former passage, with a central axial stack between each room. Left-hand end
of front range widened to the rear in the late C19, when the range of outbuildings
projecting at right angles to rear of this end were probably also added (forming a
small service courtyard at the rear). Two storeys with one-storey range of
outbuildings.
Exterior: Plinth to front. Asymmetrical 4-bay front, the second bay from the right
slightly projecting; early C19 sixteen-pane glazing bar sashes with brick reveals and
brick segmental-arched heads (the second first-floor window from the left is a late
C19 replacement and the left-hand ground-floor window is a late C20 replacement).
The second ground-floor window from the left is blind or blocked (staircase behind),
now blocked flush with C20 masonry but formerly recessed (possibly intended to be
blind). Doorway in second bay from right has early C19 six-panelled door (upper 4
panels glazed and lower 2 panels beaded flush) with beaded wooden frame and
segmental-arched opening and slate side benches inside. Left-hand gable end has a
first-floor C19 two-light segmental-headed first-floor window to left and a ground-
floor C19 four-light segmental headed window (lighting dairy). Large late C19
buttress to left with 2 chamfered offsets. Evidence of rebuilding in the right-hand
gable end with various vertical straight joints to the right of the stack. Also
blocked wide segmental-headed first-floor opening to the right of the stack. The
right-hand side wall of the rear wing (south-east side) has 2 first-floor early C19
6-pane glazing bar sashes with brick reveals, segmental brick heads and slate cills,
a similar ground-floor glazing bar sash to right and a ground-floor early C19 24-pane
(6 x 2 panes to each leaf) glazing bar sash to left, also with brick dressings.
Range of outbuildings at rear of left-hand end of main range have plank doors with
wooden lintels.
Interior: Stone-flagged floor to central entrance/staircase hall. Particularly fine
painted late C17 dog-leg staircase to the left of the entrance, with half landing,
and balustrade returning to landing. Closed pulvinated string, vase-shaped
balusters, moulded handrail and square newel posts with globe finials and pendants.
Top of blocked front window visible from the half landing. Early C19 six-panelled
door with moulded architrave leading from entrance hall into right-hand ground-floor
room. The right-hand room has a pair of fine early to mid C18 round-arched semi-
circular plan niches flanking the fireplace (fireplace rebuilt in the late C20).
Each niche has flanking beaded pilasters with moulded imposts, a moulded arch with a
raised key, 3 ogee-shaped shelves, cupboards below with a pair of raised and fielded
panelled doors (doors removed from cupboard below right-hand niche), and a square-
headed moulded architrave. Early to mid C18 fluted Doric pilasters flanking the
right-hand end wall too, each supporting a section of triglyph frieze and moulded
cornice. C18 two-panelled door leading from entrance hall into left-hand ground-
floor room and similar C18 two-panelled door leading into dairy at rear of left-hand
room. Dairy also has low slate shelves supported on rendered segmental arches.
Early C19 six-panelled door with moulded architrave leading from entrance hall into
rear wing. The front ground-floor room in the rear wing has a cased ceiling beam,
picture rail, wall cupboard and large early C19 open fireplace with brick jambs and a
segmental brick arch with metal straps on the intrados. The rear room in the rear
wing also has a large early C19 open fireplace, with brick jambs, a segmental brick
arch with metal straps on the intrados, an early C19 beaded wooden architrave with a
mantelshelf and a cloam oven to the left. First-floor rooms and roof-space not
inspected.
Although this house has been much rebuilt in the early C19 it is notable for the fine
late C17 staircase and the early to mid C18 niches and pilasters. The niches and
pilasters are of a similar date and of similar quality to a large round-arched niche
with flanking pilasters in Great Barlington Farmhouse (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SS5601717498

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26440664

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)