Description

BUSBRIDGE

SU 93 NE HASCOMBE COURT ROAD
1801/9/10016 Hascombe Court including attached fore
15-SEP-00 court walls

II

Small country house. Built 1906-7 by J D Coleridge, a pupil of Sir Edwin Lutyens for Robert Murray, a descendant of the Duke of Atholl. Some alterations, mainly internal, within a few years after 1921 for Sir John Jarvis Bart. Vernacular Revival style building roughly H-shaped in plan with further one storey wing to service end. North or entrance front of Bargate stone with red brick dressings, south front timberframed with red brick infill, east and west fronts partially of Bargate stone but tile-hung gables. Tiled roofs with eight tall brick chimneystacks with moulded caps. Lead rainwater heads throughout in shape of castles dated 1906 with the initials E H M for the Murray family. Two storeys and attics apart from one storey service end to north west: wooden mullioned or mullioned and transomed casements with leaded lights.
EXTERIOR: North elevation has recessed centre of three bays with projecting central two storey gabled porch. Four-centred arched stone doorcase with strapwork decoration, oak door and elaborate Coat of Arms of the Murray family in square tablet flanked by console brackets and with obelisk above, bearing the motto "FYRTH FORTUNE AND FILL THE FETTERS". Projecting wings on either side, north east wing the shorter having two windows, north west wing having three windows and including projecting gable facing east and north gable having on ground floor three round-headed brick arches with keystones and impost blocks. Some hipped dormers. One storey service wing to west. Attached to the north elevation is a courtyard wall between two and six feet high of Bargate stone with triangular tiled coping and incorporating six square stone piers with curved caps. This is probably of the 1920s replacing an earlier smaller forecourt wall photographed in 1913. East elevation is of Bargate stone to the two north eastern bays. The south eastern three bays project. North wall of this projection has a three tier staircase window and round-headed doorcase with tiled arch with keystone and oak door. Tiled gable has two storey canted bay of seven lights below. To the south is a tile-hung first floor gable in existence by 1913. Ground floor has loggia 2 x 3 bays with brick round-headed arches with keystones and elaborate wooden balustrading above. The loggia is post 1913 replacing original smaller loggia with brick piers but the balustrading is original. South front is symmetrical with Bargate stone plinth and is timberframed above with patterns of curved and ogee braces and with plain or herringbone brick infill. Recessed centre of five bays with projecting corner two storey pavilions with pyramidal roofs and access to gardens. Central ground floor five-light square bay. Projecting gabled wings with seven-light canted bays on both floors. West elevation has southernmost bay timberframed and Bargate stone crow-stepped external chimneystack. The remainder of this front is tile-hung with projecting central gable with one storey Bargate stone projection with hipped roof built against it. South front of north west service wing has ends of Bargate stone but the centre is supported on wooden piers with brickwork behind.
INTERIOR: The large central Reception Hall has a four-centred arched stone fireplace with strapwork overmantel, plank and muntin panelling and ceiling with oak beams. These features are shown in a "Country Life" article of 1913. It is thought that the Jacobean style elaborate carved screen with three round-headed arches by sir John Jarvis after 1921 as also were the Jacobean style fretted balusters and square newel posts with elaborate knops to the original well staircase. A 1927 photograph shows the screen in place but staircase still with plainer original balusters. Study has Jacobean style plastered ceiling and cornice with strapwork motifs, plank and muntin panelling and four-centre stone fireplace with the motto above "MELIOREM ESSE SAPIENTIAM FORTITUDINE". At time of survey the Drawing Room had been stripped to the brickwork, the plasterwork ceiling had gone and the softwood panelling of the 1920s was not present. The marble fireplace was in storage. The Billiard Room had also been stripped to the brickwork and contained a stone bolection-moulded fireplace of the 1920s. The Dining Room was not seen but photographs in Spring 2000 Sales Particulars show 1920s plastered ceiling, panelled walls with Ionic pilasters and stone bolection-moulded fireplace. Wooden dogleg service staircase with stick balusters of 1906-7. First floor has Jacobean style arches to corridors. Guest bedroom in west wing has bolection-moulded fireplace and ribbed ceiling. A further bedroom has a marble fireplace and another has a 1906-7 fireplace with green patterned tiles and wooden surround. There are three surviving 1906-7 bathrooms with patterned tiles and original fittings. Some original panelled doors. At time of survey the master bedroom had been stripped to the brickwork and the only remaining feature was a neo-Georgian fireplace. An east wing front room had a small 1906 bolection-moulded fireplace with swag decoration and cast iron firegrate and the bedroom to the north of the main stairs had a fireplace with swag decoration, paterae, firegrate and moulded cornice. Attic floor has some small original fireplaces. Roof structure is of kingpost construction to centre and queenposts to wings.
HISTORY: The original owner was Robert Murray a direct descendant of the Duke of Atholl. In 1910 Murray died and the house was bought by GEB Kennedy. Kennedy died in 1921 and after this date the property was owned by Sir John Jarvis Bart who added further Jacobean style features and also employed first Gertrude Jekyll in 1922 and then Percy Cane 1928-9 to landscape the grounds. Sir John Jarvis died in 1951.

[Pevsner BOE "Surrey" p304.
Country Life 5th April 1913, 18th September 1942, 11th April 1947, 28th July 1994.
Article in "Woman" December 1927.
"Garden Design" Autumn 1930.
Hascombe Court 1921 sales particulars. ]

Listing NGR: SU9928839960

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26664451

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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