Description

CLEOBURY MORTIMER

SO67NE Mawley Hall
582-1/2/26
12/11/54

GV I

Country house. c1730, restored 1962. Attributed to either
Francis Smith of Warwick, or Thomas White of Worcester.
MATERIALS: red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings; Giant
Roman Doric order pilasters at corners and at angles of 3-bay
centre supporting large moulded and dentilled cornice below
second floor and continued above by short panelled pilasters
supporting smaller parapet cornice. Windows with gauged brick
lintels with raised keystones supporting shelf and carved
apron below sills, doors with broken segmental pediments
advanced over pilasters or demi-columns, large urns set on
parapet. Hipped slate roof. 4 large integral panelled brick
ridge chimneys.
PLAN: rectangular of 9 bays by 7.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and basement. North-east front is 9-window
range of 9/6 sashes, 6/3 at second floor, with central 3 bays
slightly advanced under steep pediment with tall statues each
side and urn at apex and with tympanum of plain brick now
replacing an infill of the original carved coat of arms. The
central sashes with rosette surrounds, with the first-floor
surround flanked by elongated volutes. The central door has
segmental pediment with broken bed and apex with enriched
frieze and supported by Corinthian demi-columns either side of
a 10-panelled door.
South-east front: 7-window range of 9/6 sashes, 6/3 at second
floor with central 3 bays advanced. The central door has
segmental pediment with modillions and broken apex with plain
frieze and supported by Ionic pilasters. 4 pairs of windows
set under sashes set in ashlar basement wall.
South-west front: 9-window range of 9/6 sashes, 6/3 at second
floor, with central 3 bays recessed. The central door has
broken apex pediment with Doric entablature and pilasters, and
is approached from a double flight of steps balustraded with
enriched wrought iron. Basement windows as for south-east
side.
North-west front: 7-window range of 9/6 sashes, 6/3 at second
floor with 6/6 in basement to right-hand side. Central 3 bays
aligned with flanking bays. Central doorcase is at basement
level and has simple quoined ashlar surround with simple
entablature with a projecting keyblock. Left side of central
bay partly covered by later projecting brick flat roofed
extension rising to second floor with mostly paired 6/6
sashes. Left flanking bays covered to first floor with
projecting brick flat-roofed extension with C20 garage doors.
INTERIOR: generally very richly decorated in early C18 style
and mostly intact. Notable features include: entrance hall and
staircase hall divided by an internal colonnade of 3
rusticated arches, has highly decorative Italianate
plasterwork throughout depicting Imperial busts and classical
mythology and is reputed to be by one of the Italian
stuccodores, Artari, Bagutti and Vassalli, ornate doorcases
with broken apex segmental pediments with inset busts,
10-panelled doors with raised and fielded panels, attached
Baroque-style Corinthian columns. The entrance hall features a
large chimneypiece and large overmantel richly carved with
military emblems and trophies. The staircase and first-floor
balustrade is set around a large open well and features an
undulating (or serpentine) mahogany handrail starting with a
tail on the balustrade end and terminating at the lower newel
with a snake's head with a sphere in its jaws, and has
alternate pattern carved balusters set on a crested string
which in turn features relief carvings of symbols of the arts
and various pursuits, set between festoons.
Inlaid drawing room with octagonal pattern marquetry floor,
tarsia inlay using exotic timber and brass to decorate
pilasters, dado, moulded cornice, doorcases with segmental
pediments with apex broken by scrolls. Marble carved
chimneypiece with mantel shelf supported on termini.
Dining room redecorated in the Adam style c1770 with moulded
cornice, attached Corinthian columns framing a large curved
recess with moulded frieze, carved white marble fireplace with
carved keyblock. Drawing room has modillioned carved cornice,
Ionic pilasters and columns, complete large raised and fielded
panelling, carved shouldered architraves, overmantel with
festoons, all in carved oak. Marble fireplace with richly
carved frieze and flanking termini. Trompe-l'oeil painted
ceiling by Graham Rust.
Roof consists of main bordering pitches with 2 infilling inner
pitches. Structure of main king-post trusses with subsidiary
king-post trusses set above each main truss principal rafter,
tenoned purlins and tenoned ridge, now over-roofed in centre
with C20 flat lead roof.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Shropshire:
Harmondsworth, Middlesex: 1958-: 197; Country Life: 18).

Listing NGR: SO6886075258

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Mawley Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q6794435

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.

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  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
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  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide