Nos. 27-32 (consec) Greenwich, Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire

Summary

Three pairs of estate cottages in domestic Gothic style built in the early 1860s for the Marquess of Westminster following the building of his new mansion Fonthill Abbey that was designed by William Burn in 1846-52.

Description

Nos. 27 and 28

A pair of estate cottages in domestic Gothic style, dated 1868, with an outbuilding to the rear, built for the Marquess of Westminster following the building of his new mansion Fonthill Abbey that was designed by William Burn in 1846-52.

MATERIALS: the building has a limestone ashlar front, and dressed returns, with vermiculated rustication to the quoins, and a snecked stone rear. It has a pitched, clay tiled roof (believed to replace a former thatched roof) with a central, red brick ridge stack. The front and rear of the building has dentilled timber eaves, with decorative bargeboards to the gable ends.

PLAN: two back-to-back cottages with a reversed plan, each two bays wide. At ground floor level each used to have a hallway, now opened up to create a larger front room, with the front door now disused, and kitchen to the rear with stairs leading to three rooms at first floor level.

EXTERIOR: two storeys. The main south front has entrances to the far left and right. Each has a porch with a tiled pitched roof and decorative timber bargeboards with timber posts on stone footings surviving at no 28, and with the porch to no 27 now closed off in limestone ashlar and a replacement door. Double casement windows, two to the ground floor and four above, all with decorative cast-iron octagon glazing.

The rear elevation has an identical arrangement of doors and windows, but is much plainer in design: timber double casement windows with glazing bars, a planked door to no 27, that to no 28 being a later replacement.

The east gable end has two single casement windows at ground floor level with a double casement stair window above, all with decorative cast-iron octagon glazing. The west gable end is identical in arrangement, but all windows have been replaced with plastic casements, with the opening to the right at ground floor level, widened.

INTERIOR: the stairs to no 27 survive, including doors giving access to it from the kitchen. No 28 also retains its stairs as well as C19 fireplaces with grates to both floors, some flanked by round arched alcoves. Roof could not be inspected, but owner confirmed that roof timbers, including parts of the former thatched covering survives.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURE: c 8m north of the cottages is a red brick late C19 outbuilding with a pitched tiled roof and plain timber bargeboards to the gable ends. The building serves both cottages, and the south front has three planked doors alternated by three triple paned single casement windows. The rear has one triple paned single casement window to the left with just off-centre a small point arched opening. To the right it has full height double planked doors. The west gable end has a circular fixed light off-centre to the left, and that to the east end has a round arched niche. Interior not inspected.

Nos. 29 and 30

A pair of estate cottages in domestic Gothic style, (identical in design to Nos. 31 and 32), built sometime between 1868 and 1887 for the Marques of Westminster following the building of his new mansion Fonthill Abbey that was designed by William Burn in 1846-52.

MATERIALS: red brick clad in limestone ashlar with vermiculated rustication to the quoins and decorative kneelers to the gables. The building has a pitched tiled roof (believed to replace a former thatched roof) with timber dentilled eaves to the front and rear and a central red brick ridge stack.

PLAN: two back-to-back cottages, each two bays wide. The ground floor to each cottage has been opened up into one room, each cottage with three rooms at first floor level. Formerly there was a lean-to (as at 31 and 32) attached to the rear, recently (2013) removed and to be replaced with a two-storey extension built on the same foot-print.

EXTERIOR: two storeys plus attic. The main south front has entrances to the left and right, each with a porch, resting on timber posts on stone footings, with a pitched roof and decorative timber barge-boards. Timber front doors each with three full height panels. Double casement windows, two to the ground floor and four above, all with decorative cast-iron octagon glazing.

The rear elevation’s limestone cladding, and its windows and doors, were recently (2013) removed as part of the works for the erection of the new extension, though original openings survive intact.

The windows to the side gables were recently (2013) temporarily removed, with one original one with octagonal glazing remaining in situ at the time of inspection. The others, later timber replacements, will be replaced as part of the proposed building works.

INTERIOR: could not be fully inspected. Plaster to all internal walls has been removed. Fireplaces, skirting boards, internal doors, stairs and any other fixtures and fittings have been removed throughout. No internal features of note survive.

Nos. 31 and 32

A pair of estate cottages in domestic Gothic style, (identical in design to Nos. 29 and 30), built sometime between 1868 and 1887 for the Marques of Westminster following the building of his new mansion Fonthill Abbey that was designed by William Burn in 1846-52.

PLAN: two back-to-back cottages, each two bays wide, with a two storey lean-to almost to the full width of the rear, and with two further single storey C20 flat roofed extensions attached to the rear of No. 31 (recently re-roofed) abutting the retaining wall, which resulted in the partial removal of the rear external wall.

EXTERIOR: two storeys plus attic. The main south front has entrances to the left and right, each with a porch, resting on timber posts on stone footings, with a pitched roof and decorative timber bargeboards. Timber front doors each with three full height panels. Double casement windows survive, two to the ground floor and four above, all with decorative cast-iron octagon glazing, except for one at first floor level which has been replaced.

The rear elevation is set into the bank with the roof of the lean-to abutting the main building just under the eaves.

The west gable end including its lean-to to the right retains all its cast-iron octagonal glazed casement windows, and its timber panelled back door. The windows to the west gable end have all been replaced with timber casements re-using existing openings.

INTERIOR: the interior of No 31 retains its stairs (with a store cupboard underneath accessed from the kitchen), carpentry and fire surrounds, with those in the upstairs bedrooms including cast iron grates. Inside No 32, the stairs survive, including the store cupboard underneath accessed via the kitchen, but main stairs are now opened up through the removal of the internal wall between the former hall and front living room. The latter retains its fireplace with plain surround and cast iron grate. First floor and attic not inspected.

History

Nos. 27-32 (consec) Greenwich in Fonthill Gifford, form three pairs of estate cottages dating from the circa late 1860s (27 and 28 are dated 1868), that were built for the Marquess of Westminster following the building of his new mansion Fonthill Abbey, designed by William Burn in 1846-52. The estate cottages were built in a domestic Gothic style, with similar decorative detailing as seen on some of the lodges and other estate cottages (some of which are listed) also built for the Marquess of Bath.

The three pairs of cottages at Greenwich were built at the foot of a steep wooded ridge, known as The Terraces, which continues to form the north east boundary of the landscaped park known as Fonthill (registered at Grade II*), first developed by William Beckford from c1740 onwards.

As shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey of 1887, the cottages were built in a row, each pair set within its own grounds, each containing a well. Circa 170m to their south another pair of estate cottages (Nos. 33 and 34 Greenwich, listed at Grade II) had been built, also for the Marquess of Bath, but in a Tudor Gothic style. The slightly later three pairs overlooked the orchards belonging to Stop Farm (Grade II), situated c 185m to the south. Circa 170m east of the cottages was a walled garden, (probably built for William Beckford's Fonthill Abbey in the mid- to late C18), but by 1901 this was no longer there.

The pair of cottages at Greenwich situated to the far west (27 and 28) is slightly different in design and were given an outbuilding to the rear. The other two pairs were each given a lean-to, and as they were built into the steep bank of the ridge, had a retaining wall to the rear.

In 2012 the three pairs of estate cottages at Greenwich were sold by the Fonthill Abbey estate into separate private ownership. In August 2013 (with full planning permission), the lean-to to Nos. 29 and 30 was demolished, to be replaced with a two storey extension built on the same footprint.

Reasons for Listing

Nos. 27-32 (consec) Greenwich, three pairs of estate cottages built in the late 1860s for the Marquess of Westminster’s Fonthill Abbey estate listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: as a good example of a group of estate cottages of the 1860s, displaying good quality architectural detailing in a rustic Gothic style;
* Historic interest: for their strong association with the important rural estate of Fonthill Abbey, reflecting its development and early expansion as undertaken by the Marquess of Westminster;
* Intactness: despite having been altered internally to varying degrees, as a group they survive particularly well, with their exteriors mostly intact;
* Group value: they form an important group with other nationally designated heritage assets, including other listed estate buildings and in particular the designed landscape of Fonthill as included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

External Links

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