Description

WEYMOUTH

SY6677NE BELFIELD PARK AVENUE
873-1/30/21 (West side)
12/12/53 Belfield House

II*

Formerly known as: Belfield House BUXTON ROAD.
Country house in own grounds. c1775 (Ricketts). To designs of
John Crunden, by Isaac Buxton for his wife; the SE front and
Drawing Room reconstructed early C19, and late C19
conservatory.
Portland stone basement, main walls yellow brick in Flemish
bond, with stone dressings, some rendering, slate roof.
PLAN: a late classical design with portico of giant Ionic
columns on basement, to a simple plan with a principal,
single-depth room each side of the geometrical staircase
backed by an octagonal salon.
The rear of the house, facing SW, has a full-width later
glazed conservatory built to the terrace at the main floor
level, facing the remains of a formal garden layout.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and basement. The entrance (NE) front has
1:3:1 windows; the rusticated basement has, under the portico,
wide 6-pane sashes flanking a central pair of part-glazed
doors, and a similar sash each side in the corps-de-logis. The
tetrastyle Ionic portico has a quadrant of 16 stone stairs
with nosings each side, with iron railings, and carries a full
entablature and pediment. The main wall has Doric responds to
the outer columns.
At the piano nobile are large Palladian windows, under brick
arches with brick tympana, and with Portland stone Doric
half-columns and responds, on a sill band, with aprons divided
by plain pilasters. Above these are near-square 6-pane sashes,
under a small necking band and on a sill band. The centre has
tall 6-pane sashes flanking a wide panelled door with 9-pane
glazing, in a moulded architrave with entablature, with 3
blind oculi over. At first floor are three 4-pane sashes to
necking and sill bands. At either end of the front are
panelled pilasters, with slight plinths stepped forward in the
rusticated basement. There are deep stacks each side of the
centre.
The NW front is in yellow brick, with a lunette to the
full-width pediment, above three 6-pane sashes with head and
sill bands, and at the piano nobile 3 tall 12-pane sashes
recessed in arched brick panels. The basement has three
6-pane, and to right the conservatory at the first floor,
above a wide arched opening containing a door and side-lights.

The rebuilt SE front is rendered, with full-width pediment on
a lunette over 3 wide 6-pane sashes. The piano nobile has a
large tripartite 10:18:10-pane sash to a balcony on paired
brackets and 4 very slender cast-iron shafts, under a tent
hood with lattice supports, with 6-pane sashes to the
basement.
The rear, facing steeply rising ground with sets of steps, has
a projecting 3-sided centre section, with 6-pane sashes, the
central one blind, with keystones and brick voussoirs, to a
sill band, and with a 2-course brick eaves band, moulded
cornice and blocking-course; beneath, and mostly concealed by
the conservatory, are broad brick arches over recessed panels
each side of the octagon, which has a pair of French doors to
the conservatory.
The full-length wood framed conservatory has gabled ends with
finials; part of the roof at the NW end, over kitchens and
service rooms, has felted tile finish, but the remainder is
glazed. The transom lights have tinted glass.
Below the terrace, extending from the conservatory, is a
rendered wall with various windows, including a wide
tripartite sash.
INTERIOR: not inspected. RCHME describes the geometrical stair
with stone treads and wrought-iron balusters to a mahogany
handrail, and moulded cornice to the well. The upper landing
has paired columns with attic bases and enriched capitals to a
moulded cornice. The Drawing Room has a reeded plaster
cornice, white marble fireplace, and C19 reeded architraves to
doors and windows. The Dining Room has C18 moulded cornice,
doors and fire surround, with a shell pattern cast-iron grate
of c1840. The Octagon Room has C18 moulded plaster cornice and
door surrounds, and fireplace with yellow marble architrave,
with reeded white marble borders and central elliptical
painted medallion.
A fine house retaining most original detail, formerly standing
in extensive grounds, now mainly developed with C20 detached
houses. The architect for the house is better known for his
design of Boodles Club in London. The former coachhouse and
stables remain at No.60 Buxton Road (qv), converted to
dwellings.
(RCHME: Dorset: South-East: London: 1970-: 340; Ricketts E:
The Buildings of Old Weymouth, Wyke Regis and the South
Harbour: Weymouth: 1975-: 24).

Listing NGR: SY6675677885

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Belfield House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17554228

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

• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)