History

Built by George Augustus Haig after he purchased land here in 1858, and completed by 1862. Haig is said to have designed it himself to an Irish plan; the main entrance has a columned screen under a segmental fanlight in the Irish manner.

Exterior

A 2-storey 5-bay Regency style country house with wings on either side creating a U-shaped plan enclosing a small service courtyard at the rear, of whitened roughcast walls (retaining some scribing to the side elevation) with rock-faced quoins, hipped slate roof on projecting eaves, with higher gabled glazed roof behind over the great hall. Stacks have been removed, with small replacement brick stacks to the E wing and behind the great hall. Small skylights have been added to the wings. Windows are in architraves, mostly plain although some are moulded, and comprise sash windows with lying panes. The symmetrical S front has a simplified entrance with 4 attached Tuscan columns and replaced door, under a glazed segmental pediment. Windows have 6 panes in the lower storey, but are shorter, with 4 panes, in the upper storey. The wider outer bays have full-height canted bay windows. The W elevation has a full-height canted bay, with replaced half-glazed door, to the L of which are 2 pairs of narrower stair lights to each landing. Further L, in the 4-window W wing the windows are grouped 3 1. The E elevation is similar, except for steps to a cellar door under the canted bay. The lower R-hand window is blocked. The rear elevation has 3 lower-storey windows in the E wing, and a single blocked lower-storey window in the W wing.

In the courtyard is a 3-sided lean-to canopy with glazed roof on thin iron posts. The 4-window main range has replaced windows. The wings have 2-window elevations with replaced doors. On the N side of the courtyard is a service range of rendered walls with rock-faced quoins, and a hipped roof of asbestos cement. The courtyard elevation is recessed and the roof is carried on thin iron posts. It has a segmental-headed door to the R with boarded doors, boarded door L of centre and replaced door to its L. In its rubble-stone rear are 6 camber-headed openings with small-pane windows, except the R end window which is boarded up.

Interior

A small entrance vestibule leads to the double-height, top-lit great hall. This has a balcony with neo-classical cast iron balusters. Similar balusters are found on the full-height open-well stairs behind the hall, one staircase to each of the wings. The great hall has a classical marble fireplace.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its special architectural interest as a mid C19 country house retaining original character and detail.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29505591

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)