History

Plans for a house were drawn up in 1915, by the architect Philip H Lockwood of Chester. His client was Mr Bertram Brooke, of the Sarawak Rajaship family. Brooke's father was the second Rajah; on his death in 1917 he was succeeded by his third surviving son, Charles Vyner - as the fourth son, B W D Brooke became Tuan Muda, or heir presumptive. However, the family's rights over Sarawak were ceded to the British crown in 1946. B W D Brooke (1876-1965) served in the First World War as a captain in the Royal Horse Artillery.
The site chosen for the house was immediately adjacent to a pre-existing farm (the old farmhouse overlooks its garden). The house as built departed in some small particulars from Lockwood's original plans, but it remains largely unaltered. The large 2-storeyed veranda which dominates the main elevation was apparently intended to house a sleeping balcony.

Exterior

Small country house in an Arts and Crafts idiom, its gabled form perhaps inspired by the stone vernacular traditions of the Cotswolds etc. Local roughly coursed and dressed snecked rubble stone, with graded (?Westmorland) slate roofs, tall ridge stacks, strongly projecting eaves on scrolled wrought-iron brackets, and pegged oak mullioned windows. The house comprises a S-facing main range, with long wing to NE, itself returning to partially enclose a rear courtyard, the enclosure completed by single storey detached service buildings.
Two-storeyed, balanced asymmetrical entrance elevation facing S. This comprises 3 main gables flush with the main (double-pile) E-W axis: broadly central is the entrance gable, which has advancing flat-roofed full height porch projection, with 3-light mullioned windows on each floor facing S, and entrance in E return - a moulded stone 4-centred archway with sturdy boarded door. To each side of the entrance, are further flush gabled bays - that to left has 4 and 5-light mullioned windows, with 5-light windows to right. Advanced to wrap around the right-hand corner of this elevation is a large 2-storeyed veranda, with cylindrical stone columns supporting a boldly timber-framed upper storey, with arched bracing to S and E facing gables, and some slate hanging at apex of south gable. Western return elevation has 4-light mullioned window to each floor in gable end of main axis, with stack clasped in its angle with the advanced SW gable.
Four-window eastern elevation is loosely symmetrical and comprises advanced outer gabled bays parallel to the front range, with 2-window range between them. The wide left-hand gable has asymmetrical gabled roof, and canted bay window to ground floor, with 5-light mullion above; Central section has 3-light mullioned windows, with 2 dormers within the roof. Right-hand gable has 4-light mullioned window on each floor, and a 3-light window in the attic. This range partially encloses the rear courtyard: this is dominated by the oriel window of the staircase in the rear of the main range: a boldly projecting timber structure on raking struts. Scattered fenestration elsewhere, of mainly 2-light mullions. Single storey service buildings to N and W of this courtyard.

The house is approached from below by a shallow stone dog-leg staircase, advanced from a large raised terrace contained by rubble walls with ashlar coping. A visual centre-piece to this feature is provided by a 4-centred archway with oak door set into the wall at the foot of the staircase.

Interior

Coherent and expressive plan, with wide central entrance hall (with fireplace), from the rear of which the staircase rises; axial corridor towards the rear. Principle rooms (library and drawing room) to either side, and ancillary rooms (cloakrooms etc) beyond the corridor. Dining room also opens off this corridor, between drawing room and kitchen. Similar plan in service wing, with main rooms (kitchen etc) facing E, and smaller ancillary rooms to W of corridor. This planning principle is maintained on the upper floor also. Veranda accessed from drawing room and dining room, and from principle bedroom on first floor. The house retains much of its original architectural detail, reinforcing a generalised Tudor character, including fine joinery (timber-framed staircase with twisted balusters, plank and boarded doors to principle rooms on each floor, fitted shelving to library, cupboards in bedrooms), fireplaces (moulded stone in principle rooms, brick and timber elsewhere); moulded plasterwork to main beams.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a virtually unaltered, small country house in an Arts and Crafts idiom. The house has a fine consistency, the coherence of its external detail matched by a similar discipline inside, and an intact plan, which gives clear expression to contemporary principles of household organisation.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29505296

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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