Description

ST 46 NE BACKWELL CHURCH TOWN
(West side)

121-/6/10010 The Grange

GV II

House, now nursing home. Late C15, partly rebuilt early C17, altered c1730, NW end recast early C20, reportedly by Sir George Oatley. Red sandstone rubble with limestone dressings, limestone ashlar NW extension, with axial ridge stacks, and SE gable stack, and double Roman tile roof, hipped over NW section. PLAN: C15 single-depth 2-bay section, doubled in depth to NE and extended to the SE with former outer wall forming side of axial corridor; ?C17 double-depth cross range across NW end, with two gabled ranges extending to the NE, and another to the SW side. 2 storeys and attic; 3-window NW end, 6-window NE side and 4-window SW side. EXTERIOR: The main front to the NW cross range recast early C20 has raised stepped corners and central feature, an ashlar full-width extension with a crenellated parapet, raised central porch with a 2-centre doorway, and 4-light Tudor-arched windows each side with labels, and mid C20 first-floor and attic windows; the right-hand return of rubble with large irregular of an quoins of an early date to height of the rafter feet, with an early C20 3-light window as the front and a right-hand Tudor-arched door. SW side set back from the front section with a mid C20 ground-floor extension and single first-floor casement. A coped rubble gable projects from the S end with inserted C20 windows; in the re-entrant at the right-hand end is a flat-roofed single-storey block with a vaulted internal roof. The NE elevation has a central C17 rubble gable with 3-light ground-floor C20 casement and a small right-hand first-floor window with chamfered surround, central inserted C20 window and a wide relieving arch, and an attic oculus with pointed keys. To the left a C20 flat-roofed section and at the left-hand end a rendered gable, with late C20 extension to the ground floor. To the right of the central gable is a 1-window section with a hipped roof, and at the right-hand end the rendered side of the NW cross wing. INTERIOR: A complicaated layout with important features of different periods. In the entrance lobby is a blocked C15 shouldered doorway with chamfered surround; the axial corridor follows the earlier external wall, and contains a 2-light ovolo-moulded window to the NE side. A central ?C20 winder stair rises from the passage to the central attic; this contains two collar trusses with late C15 notched lap joints. The ground-floor NW living room contains a fine early C17 fireplace with pilaster jambs with lozenges and a Tudor arch, with large floor beams with wide chamfers and diamond stops, and scratch-moulded joists set into the top surface; a fine c1730 stair inserted to the left of the fireplace has fluted column-on-vase balusters, fluted column newels and moulded rail, with raised, fielded panelling under the dado extending round the first-floor landing, and connected to an early C17 chamfered door surround with moulded stops. The flat-roofed section on the S corner has a shallow segental-arched vault. HISTORY: The earliest part of the house is from the late C15, and apparently consists of an L-shaped unit including the shoulded arch into base of the L, in the central NE gable. This seems to have been rebuilt or extended in the early C17 to the NW end, although the thick walls and large quoins of this cross range lie outside the line of the earlier walls. The good quality early C18 stair was inserted to the left of the fireplace, also a fixture of considerable quality and showing little sign of wear. The shallow vault is another element whose origin is unclear. This is a house of great interest, which is reinforced by its proximity to the church. It contains internal details from three distinct periods including a fireplace and stair of considerable quality, and would merit a more detailed inspection.

Listing NGR: ST4933568283

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26537301

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

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)