Close House

Close House is a house dating from the early 18th century. It was enlarged and refronted in the late 18th century, with minor alterations in the late 19th century. The house is constructed of red brick, set on a chamfered stone plinth, with painted stone dressings, painted brick quoins, and a plain, early 18th-century stone first-floor band. It has a plain tile roof with brick gable stacks and a brick ridge stack to the rear of the roof, plus brick coped gables on plain kneelers and a moulded stone cornice.

The house has three storeys and three bays, with a single-storey, single-bay addition to the north. A plain central doorcase frames a raised and fielded panelled door, which has a Gothic traceried overlight above. To the north is a late 19th-century canted bay window with plain sashes, and to the south, a glazing bar sash window. Above are three similar glazing bar sashes, and between the northern two is a narrower, similar sash. Above again are three smaller, similar sashes. All windows have wedge lintels with the lower edge slightly arched on either side of a central keystone. The north addition features a large three-light segment-headed window to the south and a segment-headed doorcase with a panelled door to the north.

The south gable wall retains early 18th-century brickwork with vitrified headers, used on the ground floor to form diamond patterns. The ground floor also has a blocked central early 18th-century window with a flat brick arch and stone keyblock. Above are sawtooth brick bands and a blocked early 18th-century garret window.

Inside, a fine early 18th-century staircase has robust twisted balusters, a moulded oak handrail, and a massive ball finial to the top of the newel post, serving the first floor. Above this, the staircase transitions to an oak newel design. There is also one 18th-century fireplace in an upper room and several early 18th-century two-panelled doors. The group value derives from its association with a former surgery.