Description

BLETCHINGDON
SP51NW

2/13 Bletchingdon Park

26/11/51

GV II*

Country house, now college. Built 1782, by James Lewis for Arthur Arnesley, Earl
of Anglesey. Limestone ashlar, with rusticated basement; Welsh slate mansard
roof; moulded stone ashlar stacks. Central-staircase plan. Mid Georgian style.
Two storeys above rusticated basement; 5-bay front with pedimented centre making
1:3:1 fenestration. Semi-circular flight of steps in front of full-height
pedimented portico with Corinthian columns and wrought-iron railings. Late C19
double-leaf doors set in pedimented moulded stone architrave. Moulded stone
architraves with cornices to plate-glass sashes flanking door; moulded stone
architraves to mid C19 horned sashes with glazing bars. Outer bays of ground
floor have similar sashes set in semi-circular arched recesses, and with
scrolled wrought-iron balustrades to bracketed balconies. Dentilled moulded
cornice; plain parapet pierced by balustrades. Side walls each of 3-window
range: sashes with fluted pilasters set in segmental-arched recess with scrolled
wrought-iron balustrades to bracketed balconies to right; similar fenestration
to left with two semi-circular arches with blocked voussoirs below balcony.
Similar rear elevation has double-flight of steps to inset portico with two
Ionic columns in antis; tradesman's entry in basement flanked by 2-light
ovolo-moulded stone-mullioned windows; paterae to cornices of doors in portico.
Interior: hall has stone-flagged floor and marble fireplace with putti in
frieze; roundel above has Olympian plasterwork scene with fawn; decorative
dentilled cornive; similar cornices over architraves with panelled reveals to
panelled doors. Room to left has fine Adam-style fireplace with urns;
centre-left room has similar fireplace with putti and panelled walls with vine
trails, and frieze with scrolled leaf decoration and laurel wreaths; fine
Adam-style plasterwork ceiling with garlands and fans; moulded cornices with
paterae over doors. Similar Adam-style decorated room to rear left, Central
stair-hall has half-turn staircase with landings, C20 scrolled wrought-iron
balustrade and fine C20 Adam-style plasterwork. Room to right has panelled walls
with reeded architraves, Corinthian screen and late C18 grate to fireplace.
First floor has moulded plaster cornices, late C18 fireplaces with decorative
friezes, and cast-iron fire grates to left. Panelled doors and moulded
architraves to fireplace in attic, which also has glazed umbrella dome lighting
stairs, Cellar has kitchen fireplace dated 1786.
(Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p476; VCH: Oxfordshire: Vol VI, p57j
National Monuments Record; H.M.Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British
Architects: 1600-1840: 1978, p518)

Listing NGR: SP5053318026

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Bletchingdon Park at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q15978903

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)