Cross O'Cliff Court

Cross O'Cliff Court

A house built in 1907 for Arthur C Newsum, possibly designed by himself.

The house is constructed of brick with stone dressings beneath a tile roof. The entrance elevation faces east, with the principal range running north-south. Wings at each end create the effect of a U-shaped forecourt.

The building is characterised by its Arts and Crafts Tudor Revival style, with long brick elevations punctuated by canted bays, stone-dressed windows with mullions and transoms, and tall chimneys. The main entrance is housed in a central bay in a moulded surround with a diamond-shaped insert of stone above, and has timber doors with glazed upper halves. This is flanked by angled corner bays; the left bay contains a large window lighting the stair. A further bay on the southern wing contains a carved plaque reading "G.M.N / OCTOBER.3.1907". The eastern-facing gable is blank save for a tall central chimney. North of the main entrance is a further bay, and beyond this a small service courtyard and single-storey service range. The former motor house with one pair of surviving doors stands beyond.

The western garden facade is obscured at ground floor level by later single-storey additions of brick, timber and glass. Above this is a sweeping roof over the central rooms between two tall gables; one blind with a tall chimney and one with windows at upper levels. The windows in this elevation are largely uPVC. The southern facade is near-symmetrical with three full-height bays; the left bay contains a full-height window lighting the reception hall. Garden doors flank the central bay; these are uPVC replacements.

The main entrance opens into a hall running most of the length of the main block, from which the principal rooms and main stair are accessed. The stair rises in two flights with a half landing. It is of timber with a closed-string handrail with turned balusters and square newel posts, with some pegging visible to show the construction in the Arts and Crafts manner. The main double-height reception hall retains its panelling and large fireplace with a stone surround and timber overmantel carved in the style of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and a high vaulted ceiling with moulded beams. The hall contains a minstrel's gallery, now screened off at its upper level, supported on moulded timber posts with a balustrade in the same style as the main stair, and bearing a carved inscription reading "THE ORNAMENTS OF / THE HOUSE ARE THE FRIENDS / WHO FREQUENT IT".

Other ground-floor rooms retain a number of fireplaces in differing styles, at least one with a tiled insert. Door architraves and some original doors survive throughout, and ceilings largely have plain cornicing or moulded timber beams, though some ceilings are obscured by modern suspended tiles. The back stair survives, as does the space of the kitchen with ancillary rooms beyond.

The first floor also retains a number of fireplaces of varying styles and degrees of ornament. One room has a timber-moulded surround with decorative tiled insert and pillars flanking the plain overmantel. In another room the timber fire surround is flanked by inbuilt timber cupboards and shelving. The staff rooms at the northern end of the house survive, accessed by the back stair and separated by a door from the main first floor.

Opposite the main entrance stands a pair of ornamental brick and stone gatepiers with a gate between them.