Melton Lodge with detached Coach House, Great Malvern, Worcestershire

Summary

A substantial villa of 1818 with detached coach house, altered in the 1860s by GC Haddon, the 1890s by Nevinson and Newton, and again in the early C20 and 1930s.

Description

A substantial villa of 1818 with detached coach house, altered in the 1860s by GC Haddon, the 1890s by Nevinson and Newton, and again in the early C20 and 1930s.

MATERIALS: The house and coach house are constructed of brick with stucco over, and slate roofs.

PLAN: The entrance elevation of the house faces west, with the principal garden front facing east. The house is largely linear and aligned north-south, with the detached coach house to the north-west.

EXTERIOR: The house is characterised by its stuccoed elevations with sweeping roofs and broad projecting eaves. The main entrance faces west in a projecting bay, and is contained in the porch of 1894 by Nevinson and Newton, which is a tripartite arrangement with square columns and pilasters with carved capitals, and a central archway with Gibbs surround which contains a wrought iron panel with gas lamp. The main door, of timber with glazed panels and understood to date from the 1930s, is recessed with leaded windows either side, and stained glass in the return walls of the porch. The central bay is flanked on either side with timber verandahs which are thought to be original and possibly truncated during the 1890s work. The upper elevations contain later C19 timber sash windows, with broad projecting eaves supported on timber brackets above and a timber cupola with carved brackets and a pyramidal roof. There is a later C19 extension to the north, also with sash windows and surrounds to match the main building. The northern elevation is mostly plain with some sash windows and doors at differing levels giving access to the service areas of the house.

To the south there is a pair of later C19 oriel windows to bedrooms at first floor level, with large original sash windows to the drawing room below, and a timber balcony with Regency style wrought iron balustrade. Below this are three arched openings with Doric engaged columns between and Crittall doors in each opening. These are thought to date from the 1930s.

The eastern, garden elevation rises the full four storeys of the building and is dominated by the large central bow which projects from the main section of the house. A small door gives access to the garden from the basement level at the centre of the bow. Above this, at lower ground floor level, there are three large six over nine sash windows in the bow, a further sash window to the north, and to the south is a large arched door matching those adjacent, which opens onto an Art Deco style concrete balcony. The timber and wrought iron balcony, supported on decorative brackets, crosses the whole elevation at ground floor level, with large sash windows opening on to it. Most windows on the upper two floors have external timber shutters.

INTERIOR: the main entrance opens on to a large hall, with the principal stair rising to first floor level. The stair, which appears to date from the early C20, has large, square newel posts with turned finials, and a closed string with turned balusters and a band of guilloche decoration. At the half-landing, turned posts support the landing above with fretwork bands between at ceiling level. There are doors opening off the main hall which have original doorcases in the Regency style, with reeded architraves and palmette decoration. The doors themselves are later with carved central panels. An arched opening off the hall gives access to the express lift.

The main drawing room has plaster panelled walls and a decorative plaster cornice; the room is divided at one end by a wide arch with panelled soffit. The fireplace has a later C19 or early C20 surround with carved decoration and the windows retain original surrounds and have timber shutters. The central bowed room, identified as the library in an 1898 inventory, has timber panelling which appears to date from the early C20 and a lowered, plain ceiling. The fireplace has a large, stone surround in an Arts and Crafts style, with carved spandrels and floral panels above. The doors and windows retain original surrounds with Greek key decoration.

The dining room is entered from a corridor off the main hall, with two entrance doors with surrounds with reeded architraves and floral bosses and a further door, now alcove, connecting with the adjacent library. It has a fireplace with early C20 timber panelling, and a decorative plaster cornice to the ceiling. Other rooms on the ground floor in what would have been staff areas are largely plain. A 1930s bell board survives, and there is a C19 dog leg stair at the northern end.

The first floor has bedrooms in the principal building, with staff bedrooms in the later extension. The main bedrooms all have panelled timber doors in original surrounds. The southern rooms have oriel windows, that to the west retains a C19 cast iron fire surround. Staff bedrooms also retain cast iron fire surrounds. The principal bedroom has a 1930s gas fire.

The lower ground floor has a central hall with a quarry tiled floor accessed by a stair from the main hall above, with stick balusters and a closed string. The central, bowed room is entered through a large C19 panelled door, with side panels and a glazed fanlight above, and has an early C20 fireplace with tiled surround. There are further storage rooms to the west, including a wine cellar. To the south is a large room with arched openings with Crittall doors in each which open on to a terrace, and the adjacent garden room has Crittall doors in a concrete surround, and retains murals inside which may date from the 1930s. At basement level there are further storage rooms, some retaining 1930s fixtures and parquet flooring.

The COACH HOUSE to the north west of the main house retains original timber doors to its carriage openings, and tiled flooring to the stables at the lower level.

History

Melton Lodge was built c.1818 and its first owner was Dr William Garlicke, a noted local physician who is understood to have to have attended to Princess Victoria, later Queen Victoria, and her mother the Duchess of Kent on a visit to Malvern. Dr Garlicke is buried in Malvern Priory.

The house is shown on several early maps, including the Foley Estate map of 1831 and the tithe map of 1843. Detailed plans from 1867 and 1884 show the arrangement of the main house and outbuildings, including the coach house, and show that a number of outbuildings and garden buildings have been lost over time. The size of the estate was reduced by the time of the 1905 Ordnance Survey, when the eastern portion had presumably been sold and was starting to be developed for housing.

The house is understood to have passed to Dr Garlicke's daughter and son, and then to Major WCW Jackson, and was altered in the 1860s by GC Haddon, at which time the northern wing was most likely extended. In 1869 Major Ward Jackson allowed the local water board to run pipes through the estate, supplying water to approximately one third of the town. After several changes subsequent in ownership, the house was altered again in the 1890s by Nevinson and Newton, when the current entrance porch was added. The current principal stair and some other internal features, such as the doors to the principal rooms and panelling in the study, are thought to date from the late C19 or early C20. An express lift, an unusual feature in a private house, was installed some time most likely in the 1920s. Further changes took place in the 1930s, and the house has remained substantially unaltered since that time.

Reasons for Listing

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
Melton Lodge, a substantial villa of 1818 with detached coach house, altered in the 1860s by GC Haddon, the 1890s by Nevinson and Newton, and again in the early C20 and 1930s, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: the house survives substantially intact, with the original form and character of a large Regency villa still very much apparent;
* Architectural interest: the house is of considerable architectural interest, with its original appearance complemented by later alterations;
* Interior: features throughout the interior, which date from a range of periods in the building's history, are consistently of good quality and contribute to its special interest.

External Links

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