Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 5 May 2021 to remove superfluous source details and reformat the text to current standards

SE 0423 and SE 0523
12/69

SOWERBY BRIDGE
FORE LANE AVENUE (north side)
White Windows, Cheshire Home

15.11.66 -

II
House, now Cheshire Home. 1768 with probably earlier ranges. By John Carr for John Priestley (Kendall p111). Coursed squared stone with ashlar to entrance front; stone slate roof. Two and a half storeys with basement, seven bays, with two possibly-earlier wings to rear left and a further earlier wing projecting at right angles from left return set back and at higher level than main front due to slope of ground.

Main (south-east) front: symmetrical facade. Plinth, rusticated basement, rusticated quoins rising as panelled pilasters on top floor, ground-floor band, moulded first and second-floor cornices. Double flight of steps leads up to main floor. It has iron handrail with wavy and decoratively-scrolled balusters and under it a C20 door masks original rusticated doorway. Main double-door with overlight and architrave set in surround with pulvinated frieze, cornice and swan-neck pediment. Basement has fixed six-pane windows under lintels incised as flat arches; other windows have moulded architraves, sashes with glazing bars to ground and first floors, six-pane sashes and C20 casements to second floor. Hipped roof with four central corniced stacks linked by balustrade. C20 single-storey addition on left not of special interest.

Rear: Venetian stair window has keyed plain stone surround and thick glazing bars. Moulded gutter brackets. On right, paired gabled wings project having quoins, flat-faced mullion windows and a doorway with tie-stone jambs. c1980 addition projecting on left not of special interest. Right return: five bays. Rusticated quoins, plain bands, moulded cornice. Sashes with glazing bars to ground and first floors, all windows in raised plain surrounds. Left return: main block as right return, ground floor masked by C20 glass lean-to (not of special interest). On left earlier range projects having quoins and to right return, a five-light flat-faced mullion window to first floor (mullions recessed).

Interior: entrance hall: remains of moulded cornice soffit, date inside front door (not seen at resurvey). Front left room has elaborate fireplace with floral frieze and over-mantel; moulded panels and cornice. Front right room has floral-decorated dentil cornice. Main stair: dog-leg, cantilevered, open-string, balustrade as to front steps with intermediate floral-decorated scrolled balusters, gun-barrel newel, moulded handrail. Stair window has Ionic columns, elaborate cornice and over central light the Priestley coat of arms flanked by festoons. First floor stair hall has moulded panels and cornice. Full-height back stairs: dog-leg, open-string with turned balusters and ramped handrail (partly-replaced). John Priestley bought the estate in 1765 and built the new house 1767-68. The stair hall and both stairs are almost identical to those at Haugh End House (q.v) which was also by Carr for Priestley's father-in-law, John Lea. John's son, Joseph, was a JP and the room now used as a shop was used as the Justices Room (Kendall, p111) - the name John is incised in the glass of one of the windows (not seen at resurvey).

Listing NGR: SE0532823269

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26647788

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

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)