Description

TQ5993
723-1/12/117
21/10/58

BRENTWOOD
SHENFIELD ROAD
(North side)
The Hermitage
(Formerly Listed as:
SHENFIELD ROAD, Shenfield
(North side)
The Hermitage Brentwood School)

GV
II

Formerly known as: The Hermitage ROMAN ROAD.
House, later part of school, now Essex County Council
Education Centre. Early C18, c1800, C20. Red brick, hipped
slate roof with stack at each end. Principal block rectangular
with rear parallel unit, servants' cross-wing at E end with
own hipped roof and E stack, single storey wing at W with C20
addition.
EXTERIOR: 2 storey and attic with rear dormers. All windows
remewed in C20. S front elevation. House has 5 bays, servants'
unit of one bay set back slightly. All windows sashes of
triple type with glazing bars, each window 1x4, 3x4, 1x4
panes. Second bay of house from W has both windows blocked
behind sashes. Central front doorway with C20 flat-roofed
porch on posts, all in simple Doric form, C20 door of 2 leaves
with upper glazing with glazing bars, each 2x3 panes, also
lower reeded panel. Rear N elevation. Principal block behind
with second block in front with similar roof, ground floor,
windows segment headed, ground floor sash window with glazing
bars, 5x4 panes. Conservatory porch in glass and brick with
C20 door with upper glazing 2x3 panes. Glazing by fixed units
with glazing bars, 3 panes high and in units of 2,2 and 4
panes wide. First floor, 3 windows, each with glazing bars,
4x4 panes. Servants' unit to E, ground floor, 2 segment headed
casement windows with glazing bars, 2x1, and 2x2 panes.
Segment headed doorway with a C20 door with upper glazed
panes. W end single-storey wing, hipped slated roof, in front,
C20 addition, back to back with C19 lean-to having C20 top
opening casement windows with glazing bars, 2x4 panes. To E
side, boarded door and C20 casement window with glazing bars,
2x3 panes. One C20 single light casement window with glazing
bars, 2x5 panes, one 2-light casement with glazing bars, each
light 2x4 panes, also upper fixed window. E end elevation,
servants' block, 2 stacks, one reduced, 2 segment headed sash
windows in both ground and first floor, each with glazing
bars, 3x4 panes. Ground-floor windows to N end first-floor
windows to S end. W end elevation, end of principal block with
ground floor C20 Voysey style full width shallow bay window
with corner buttresses and flat roof with deep modillioned
eave. 4-light top opening casement window. First floor,
tripartite window similar to those on front elevation. Ground
floor extension to N, slated hipped roof, stacks behind, large
inserted French window with side and top lights with glazing
bars and doors with top lights with glazing bars, 4 panes
deep, each door 1x3 panes and blind box above. C20 extension
to N, simple C20 door with glazed panel, 2 louvred windows
above.
INTERIOR: a considerable amount of detail remains of c1800,
central passage with arched openings and slender well stair
with mahogany handrail and simple plain balusters. A number of
doorways survive with reeded architraves and corner rosettes,
panelled reveals, doors 6 panelled. Principal room in SW angle
has doors and dado with reeded rail partly surviving, ceiling
with reeding and rosette decoration and Adam style wheat-ear
frieze, also 2 cupboards symmetrically projecting each side of
W window with Chinese style fret glazing bars. Room in NW
corner has bolection-moulded dado and panelling. Room height
implies late C19 build, possibly using older C18 panelling.
Communication doorways now blocked, link the E service unit
with the main house. The Hermitage, Old House (qv), together
with Roden House (qv), Newnum House (qv) and Mitre House (qv)
of Brentwood School and monument to William Hunter (qv) form a
group .

Listing NGR: TQ5978693980

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26491726

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)