Description

NORTH NIBLEY THE STREET ST 7395 (south side) 9/134 Nibley House 23.6.52 II*

Large country house. Mid C17; late C17 alterations; major alterations of 1763 for George Smyth; late C19 or early C20 additions. Ashlar limestone; roughcast to rear elevations; ashlar chimneys; plain tile roof. Two-storey with attic and cellar. Central staircase plan with wing to rear. Front: 2:3:2 fenestration, 15-pane sashes to ground floor and 12-pane to upper floor all with moulded eared architraves and bracketed sills. Pedimented break forward at centre with small distyle Ionic portico porch to doorway with keyed round arch having imposts; pair of 3- panel doors with fanlight over. Modillion parapet cornice and modillion enriched pediment; plain band at upper floor level. Pair of ridge-mounted moulding chimneys towards centre of hipped roof. East side: 5-window fenestration as to front but with plain openings. Central doorway with Gibbs surround has 6-panel door with rectangular light over; doorway sheltered by C19 glazed lean- to porch. Plain banding and parapet continued from front facade. West side: fenestration 2:3:2 with recessed centre. Part of elevation to left continues treatment as front facade but with plain openings. Break in roof pitch to right of this portion suggests point where more of the C17 structure was retained in the rear areas of the house. Simplified facades to right continue to gable end of rear wing. Rear: right is part of 1763 rebuilding. Left of this a round-arched staircase sash with plain architraves, imposts and keystone. Gable at centre of rear elevation with gable-mounted chimney dates from C17 house; below this is late C19 two-storey lean-to block containing bathrooms. Staircase projection in angle wth rear wing may be early C18 and has single upper floor 12-pane sash with plain keyed architrave. Interior is mostly of 1763 except for some rear areas. Finely proportioned room with mid C18 marble fireplace. High square hall with open well staircase on 3 sides having 3 turned balusters per tread and wreathed handrails. Entrance hall is square with 2 doorways in each of the inner corners, all with eared architraves. Room in north-west corner has fine Rococo plaster ceiling with flowers and fruits depicted with great realism. In angle with rear wing a late C17 or early C18 staircase with moulded handrail and barleysugar balusters; plain square newel posts. On upper floor one room has mid C18 panelling with eared architraves to each panel. Some late C17 timber framed partitions in older part of house. Roof structure incorporates part of C17 roof. Mid C17 house appears to be that illustrated by Kip. Some alterations may have taken place between the building recorded by Kip and the major rebuilding of 1763. The present house is as engraved by Bonner in 1779. Two barns, one now converted to house, stand to south (q.v.), beyond the long coach house and stable range which is not of specal interest. (R. Atkyns, The Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire, 1712; S. Rudder, A New History of Gloucestershire, 1779; and D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979)

Listing NGR: ST7375495969

External Links

• Nibley House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17538162

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

• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)