Description

TQ 56 43 BIDBOROUGH HIGH STREET (west side)

11/19 Deacon House
1.7.87
II

House, built as a dower house to Mabledon Park, Southborough parish (1987 list
description). Circa 1830, probably remodelled and extended in the circa
1850s. The 1987 list description suggests that the architect may have been
Decimus Burton "or more probably William Widdicombe". Yellow brick of 2
different types with some glazed headers, sandstone dressings; slate roof;
brick stacks. Italianate style.

Plan: Built on a north south axis, the entrance on the east. Double depth
plan with a south east entrance into a stair hall. An axial corridor divides
the west-facing principal rooms from the service rooms to the east, with a
service stair at the north end of the corridor. Straight joints and
variations in the brickwork and window forms suggest that the existing
Italianate design is a remodelling of an earlier house.

Exeterior: 2 storeys. The roof has very deep eaves carried on brackets.
Asymmetrical west (garden) elevation with a deep plinth and 2 3-light 2-storey
canted bays, 8 windows in all, plus a one-bay single storey block at the left
end with a verandah to the garden. All the windows are round-headed with
stone architraves and impost blocks, the first floor windows 6-pane sashes
with aprons and a sill band, the ground floor windows 2-pane plate glass
sashes with a triple window between the canted bays. The left hand single-
storey block has a timber lattice verandah and a half-glazed C19 door with
moulded panels below a round-headed recess with a keyblock. The brickwork of
the left hand canted bay is not tied into the front wall and the brickwork of
the bay and the main block to its north differs from the rest. The 3 plus one
window east (entrance) elevation has brick pilasters and a projecting brick
porch to the left with rusticated brick pilasters, a brick frieze and moulded
cornice. Round-headed doorway with stone architrave, keyblock and impost
blocks. Heavily-moulded 4-panel front door with a fanlight. The left return
of the porch has a round-headed recess. Above the porch an elaborate chimney
with divided shafts and moulded brackets to the eaves. The first floor
windows match those on the garden elevation, the ground floor windows are
early C19 small-pane round-headed sashes with margin glazing. The south
return has pilasters to the gable and a segmental arch above the first floor
segmental headed 6-pane sash and a 2-leaf glazed door with a fanlight. To the
left a divided chimney-stack rises on either side of a round-headed recess.
The north return, overlooking a small service court, also retains C19 doors
and windows.

Interior: The C19 interior is very complete, although one partition dividing
2 of the principal rooms has been removed. The principal rooms retain C19
plaster cornices, original joinery including shutters, doors and skirting
boards, and C19 chimney-pieces and grates survive in almost every room. The
kitchen and north ground floor room preserve vertical shutters. The early C19
principal stair has stick balusters and a ramped mahogany handrail.

The house is said to have been built for the Deacon family, who made their
money from banking. It was originally called Glensyde.

A very complete C19 Italianate villa.

Listing NGR: TQ5644443357

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26541021

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

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)