Micklefield House

Micklefield House is a large detached villa, now used as council offices, built in 1847 by architect John Tertius Fairbank. A substantial extension was added in 1872, with further alterations made in later periods. The building is constructed of coursed sandstone with a slate roof, red-tile ridge crest, and substantial chimneystacks. It rises two storeys plus basement and attic, designed in an eccentric castellated Gothic style.

Plan and Setting

The house has an L-shaped footprint. The front range, dating to 1847, faces south-east, with an attached garden-facing range added in 1872 facing south-west. A late-20th-century extension that previously attached to the north-west side of the 1847 range, along with a smaller projection on the north-east end, have been demolished and no longer exist. An early-21st-century extension now runs parallel with the north-west wall of the house but is excluded from the listing.

The house's extensive gardens and grounds to the south-west and south-east sides of the main building now form Micklefield Park.

Exterior

The house features windows of varying style and size. Substantial chimneystacks—one of which has been truncated—rise from the roofs and ridgelines, many with multiple shaped flues.

Front (South-East) Elevation

The principal front elevation is formed of the 1847 range and is symmetrical, comprising six bays. A stringcourse runs between the ground and first floors, with another forming a sill band to the first-floor windows; both continue around and across the south-west gabled return. A dentil cornice exists at the eaves line.

Bays 2 and 5 project forward beneath steeply pitched shaped gables with glazed trefoils lighting the attic. The ground floor of each bay has a Gothic-arched opening with stepped hoodmoulds, carved spandrels, and shield reliefs. The left bay forms an open doorway into the main entrance porch, while the right bay forms a six-light window with cusped lights. Inside the entrance porch is a square-headed entrance doorway containing Gothic carved double doors set within a carved stone surround incorporating narrow leaded sidelights. Above the doorway, a large stone bears carved lettering reading 'ERECTED.1662./ RESTORED.1847.' with a stepped hoodmould. Above the main entrance porch is a large stone with stylised relief lettering depicting the initials 'W W' and the date '1847'. A smaller stone on bay 5 appears to originate from the previous Micklefield House of 1662 and incorporates relief lettering depicting the letters 'I A M' and the date '1662'. Gothic-arched cross windows with cusped lights and hoodmoulds with carved mask stops exist on the first floor of both bays.

The elevation's two central bays project forward at ground-floor level as a flat-roofed projection in line with the flanking bays, with a parapet incorporating triangular crenellations that echo the building's gables. The ground floor is lit by a single large 14-light mullioned and transomed window; two of the mullions are more substantial and styled as buttresses. Two cross windows light the first floor above and behind. The two outermost bays both have six-light mullioned and transomed windows to the ground floor and cross windows to the first floor.

The range's north-east gable-end return is lit by a large four-centred arched attic window and has a truncated late-19th-century wall stack. Attached to the ground floor is a single-storey extension dating to around 1872 with a small chimneystack, windows to each of the three sides (two window openings have been blocked up), and a doorway on the south-east side.

South-West Garden-Facing Elevation

The far right of this elevation is formed of the gable-end return of the 1847 range, with the 1872 addition to the left. The wide gable end of the 1847 range incorporates a later two-storey bow window to the centre with a large four-centred arched attic window set above in the same style as that to the north-east gable end. To the immediate left of the bow window are a six-light mullioned and transomed window on the ground floor and a cross window on the first floor.

The large three-bay 1872 range to the left half of the elevation projects forward slightly and has a hipped roof and a dentil cornice on this side. A two-storey bay window is set to the centre with trefoil-arched heads to the first-floor lights and is topped by a steeply pitched gable similarly styled to those on the 1847 range's front elevation. The gable incorporates a carved trefoil depicting a crest and a banner with the words 'OMNIA VINCIT VERITAS' ('truth conquers all things') and the date '1872'. Below, forming part of a hoodmould to the first-floor window, is a stone with the intertwined initials 'T&HA' (Thomas and Hannah Arton) in stylised lettering. The bay window is flanked by two-light transomed windows on both the ground and first floors of the outer bays.

Set back to the far left of the elevation is a crenellated three-stage tower forming part of the 1872 range with a corner chimneystack and three lancets to the top stage, which light a look-out room. Attached to the ground floor of the tower is a mid-20th-century flat-roofed stone projection incorporating windows to three sides. The projection replaced a glasshouse of 1872 and is set upon the glasshouse's original base; the base is included within the listing, but the later build above is excluded from the listing.

In front of the elevation on this side is a raised terrace, but this does not continue around to the north-west return. Consequently, there is a change in ground level and the former glasshouse's base appears as a full basement on the north-west return. It has two windows and a wide doorway with a plank and batten door with an affixed horseshoe and a modern metal grille-gate in front. The smaller of the two windows was probably a coal chute originally and still retains hinges for a now-removed shutter or door. Rising above and behind, the tower has three stepped lancets lighting a stair and a three-light window at the top stage, in the same style as that to the south-west side. The north-east side of the tower projects out slightly in the style of a two-storey lean-to with a window to each floor and an entrance containing a four-panel door.

Rear Elevations

The rear elevations are a complex mass of gables and projections of varying height. The rear of the 1847 range has an early-21st-century lean-to extension attached to the ground floor, the roof of which rises up to first-floor level but is cut away to leave the range's series of five windows intact; the extension is excluded from the listing. Above the 1847 range's three central first-floor windows is a small gable lit by a triangular window incorporating painted glass and a shaped hoodmould that lights a secondary stair. A shallow full-height gabled cross wing containing the house's main stair projects from the rear of the 1872 range and is lit by a large nine-light painted-glass stair window (boarded over externally) on the north-west side return.

Interior

Deep skirtings, moulded door and window architraves, panelled window reveals with some shutters, four-panel and six-panel doors, and deep moulded cornicing—some ornate in design—survive throughout the building. Anaglypta ceilings and ceiling roses also exist in the principal rooms and circulation spaces. Some built-in cupboards survive, along with a number of mid-19th-century and late-19th-century fireplaces to rooms on each floor. Late-19th-century central heating vents running along the skirtings can also be found in some of the rooms and spaces. Some later partitioning and later doorways have been inserted on the ground floor, particularly in the 1847 range, along with some modern fire doors and later service pipes and cables introduced along some walls; these modern features are not of special interest.

Ground Floor

The main entrance vestibule has a patterned encaustic tiled floor and contains a Gothic-arched inner doorway with an etched-glass overlight and a replaced door, which lead into an entrance/stair hall with Anaglypta ceilings, richly moulded cornicing incorporating acanthus leaf moulding, and an ornate ceiling rose—features replicated in the principal spaces throughout the building. The main stair lies to the rear of the space, in line with the entrance, and in front a flat-arched opening has piers with chamfered corners and moulded brackets.

Rooms flank the hallway by the main entrance and then lie off the south-west side near to the stair. A corridor leading off the hallway on the north-east side runs through the 1847 range and has access into the early-21st-century rear extension, which is not of special interest. Rooms lie off to each side of the corridor; those to the south-east side are larger.

One of the rooms on the south-west side of the ground floor in the 1872 range is a large garden-facing room—possibly a dining room or sitting room originally—with a Gothic-arched alcove to the centre of its north-west wall with stop-chamfered jambs and flanked by doorways. The left doorway accesses mid-20th-century rooms on the former site of the 1872 conservatory, which are plain and not of special interest, and the right doorway accesses a rear service area containing a walk-in safe and the tower's narrow open-well stair, which has square newel posts with ball finials, pendants, and modern tread coverings. The stair leads up to a small look-out room with hatch access onto the tower roof and also provides service access to a first-floor ballroom/entertaining space.

Main Stair Hall

The main stair hall's north-east wall is lit by a nine-light painted-glass window that now has its external face contained within the building's early-21st-century rear extension. The window incorporates floral designs with a roundel to the centre light displaying the initials 'THA' (Thomas and Hannah Arton). The main open-well stair has a curtail step, bracketed string, paired turned and shaped balusters, a substantial newel post, and Anaglypta to the underside of the upper flight. A large nine-light painted-glass window lights the half-landing and depicts mainly floral designs with a coat of arms and a banner bearing the Latin phrase 'OMNIA VINCIT VERITAS' ('truth conquers all things') set to the centre light. A doorway underneath the main stair also leads into the small rear service area and tower stair.

An additional narrower dog-leg stair, which provides access from the ground floor right up to the attic, is set to the rear right of the 1847 range with turned balusters, a closed string, and a sweeping handrail.

First Floor

At the top of the main stair, and off to the south-west side of the first-floor landing, is a doorway with a couple of steps that lead into a large first-floor ballroom/entertaining room with a Baronial-Gothic style part-vaulted coffered ceiling and stop-chamfered corners at the entrance to a large south-west facing bay window.

The first-floor landing has another flat arch in the same style, and also aligned with, that on the ground floor. The opening has been in-filled with a later screen and door that are not of special interest. Behind, the main landing space is lit by a large skylight (covered over). A tall Gothic-arched opening to the south-west corner of the landing leads to two rooms, one of which is a large former corner bedroom with windows to both the front and south-west elevations.

A corridor leading off the landing that runs the length of the 1847 range has an inserted partition and doorway that are not of special interest. Former bedrooms lie off to each side of the corridor and to the north-east end of the range. One large room—originally two rooms—on the south-east side incorporates former dressing/reading rooms in projections off each corner with corner fireplaces or fire surrounds.

Attic

The attic covers the entire 1847 range and consists of a large central space with rooms off to each end and the south-east side. Those to each end lie behind wide Gothic-arched openings that appear to have been in-filled in the late 19th century and off-centre doorways inserted. Each end room contains a stone fireplace; that to the south-west end has an additional late-19th-century cast-iron fireplace added in front. Built-in cupboards—with some doors missing—survive.

Basement

The basement, accessed via a stone stair underneath the stair in the 1847 range, consists of a series of rooms linked by corridors. Those underneath the 1847 range have barrel-vaulted ceilings. Original stone and brick larder shelving survives, along with plank and batten and six-panel doors, and a substantial timber-slab meat preparation table set upon brick piers lies to the centre of the floor of one of the rooms underneath the 1847 range.