Description

OFFLEY KINGS WALDEN ROAD
TL 1426 & TL 1427 (East side)
Great Offley

12/96 & 13/96 Offley Place
9.6.52 (Hertfordshire
Educational Department:
Residential Centre) and
linked N service block

GV II

Country house, now in educational use. 1806-10 by Sir Robert Smirke for
Rev Lynch Salusbury incorporating C17 E wing of manor house of Offley St
Ledgers (recased), stair tower reduced to general height 1929 for
Colonel Acland. Used for educational purposes since 1943. Red brick in
Flemish-bond with white brick dressings, front range stuccoed in later
C19. Hipped slate roofs. A tall symmetrical Gothick 3-storeys house
facing W set in parkland to N of parish church, and formerly with a
higher square central crenelated stair tower with 3 clearstorey windows
in each face reminiscent of Wyatt's design for Ashridge. Diagonal
buttresses to angles (paired corner buttresses added to 3-storeys old E
wing). 5 windows wide W front has narrow projecting central bay, gabled,
with diagonal buttresses and projecting Gothick porch with pointed
archway and rib-vaulted ceiling. 2-light mullioned and transomed
windows, smaller windows to 2nd floor. These windows have wooden sliding
sashes. Neale engraving shows twin canted single-storey crenelated bay
windows on S end, now gone. E face of this S end still in original
brickwork with tall pointed niche with gauged brick vaulted head.
Rectangular 2-storeys service wing to N has square corner turrets with
pointed slits. 2 linking contemporary single-storey ranges with
disproportionately large painted corbels below eaves. Original interior
arrangement had Drawing Room on S of entrance with Dining Room to rear
of it: Breakfast Room on N of entrance with small Parlour to rear. Lofty
ground floor of older E wing was the Library. Entrance into wide stone
paved hall by glazed timber Gothick screen, archway to square central
stair hall with three pointed windows in sides and lay-light under a
lantern. Single stair up sides of tower and stone steps down to library.
Copper Arts and Crafts chandelier hanging central. Heavy pointed double
doors with narrow panels with cusped heads. SW room has C18 white marble
classical fire surround. Upper floors have 6-panels moulded divided
doors. Former library has 4-centred stone fireplace and twin coved
niches on W wall with shaped shelves. (RCHM (1911)161: Pevsner
(1977)265: RCHM Typescript).

Listing NGR: TL1451127004

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26469477

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)