Styche Hall

Styche Hall is a small country house, now divided into flats, located in Moreton Say. It was built between 1762 and 1766 by Sir William Chambers for the 1st Lord Clive. Bays were added and other alterations made by Joseph Bromfield of Shrewsbury between 1796 and 1798 for the Honourable Robert Clive. Further alterations were carried out around 1900.

The building is constructed of painted brick with a hipped plain tile roof and follows a square plan, rising three storeys over a basement. The south-west garden front features a rendered chamfered plinth, a stone string course between the first and second floors, and a coved stone cornice with blocking course. The ridge stacks are rendered brick, positioned off-centre to left and right. The facade displays a 3:2:3 bay arrangement with a shallow recessed centre and a pair of later full-height canted bays. Windows are glazing bar sashes with stone cills. A large semi-circular relieving arch surmounts the central segmental-headed first-floor window with architrave; this was cut down around 1900 with the addition of a small balcony. Ground-floor and first-floor bay windows were altered around 1900 with round-arched lights in the lower sashes, creating the impression that upper and lower sashes have been exchanged. The central entrance comprises three stone steps leading to a small-paned half-glazed door with bolection-moulded lower panel, moulded architrave and panel above, all dating to around 1900. A porch of around 1900 or later consists of a pair of doors with three raised and fielded panels, an architrave with cable moulding, and a doorcase with Corinthian pilasters supporting an entablature and triangular-pedimented gable. The porch has recessed corners with cable moulding, side windows, and a panelled soffit. The right-hand return front displays six bays with glazing bar sashes, the ground-floor examples showing the same circa 1900 alteration as the front. The left-hand return front has a 2:2:2 bay arrangement with recessed centre and glazing bar sashes, some painted in imitation. The rear elevation is of 2:3:2 bays with a central break.

The interior dates from circa 1762–1766 with alterations of circa 1796–1798 and circa 1900. The entrance hall features a moulded dado rail and cornice, with six panelled side doors each having lugged architraves, friezes and modillion cornices. A pair of circa 1900 small-paned glazed doors in the rear wall are fitted with a radial fanlight and moulded architrave. Windows have plain scrolled architraves.

The right-hand ground-floor drawing room features a plain dado with moulded base and rail, and a rich modillion cornice supporting an elaborate circa 1900 enriched plaster ceiling with panelled detail. Three six-panelled doors are each enriched with egg and dart ornament, lugged architraves with egg and dart enrichment, friezes with scrolled ornament, and modillion cornices. The fireplace dates to circa 1762 and has a marble surround with egg and dart enrichment, fluted tapered pilasters, plain frieze, and a cornice with bead and reel and egg and dart enrichment. Panelled window shutters with egg and dart enrichment and architraves with scrolled shoulders complete the room.

The left-hand ground-floor dining room features a dado with moulded base and rail with egg and dart enrichment, a rich modillion cornice, and a circa 1900 elaborate enriched plaster ceiling with a central oval panel, vine trails, and scrolled ornament. Six-panelled doors are each enriched with egg and dart motifs, lugged architraves, friezes with scrolled ornament and cornucopia, and rich moulded cornices. The fireplace has a marble surround with staff moulding, tall scrolled brackets with shells at the feet, amphorae, daggers, sword and torch in the frieze, and a cornice with bead and reel and egg and dart enrichment. Panelled window shutters with egg and dart enrichment and architraves with scrolled shoulders are present.

The staircase hall behind the entrance hall dates to circa 1796–1798 and contains a three-flight staircase rising two storeys with landings. The staircase has an open string, moulded nosings, stick balusters with single flute (two per tread), moulded handrail and wreathed foot with a slim columular newel post. A moulded cornice with mutules crowns the space, and an oval toplight provides illumination. An oak back staircase of circa 1762–1766 is of dog-leg form with closed string, turned balusters, columular newel posts and ramped handrail.

The left-hand first-floor front room features a carved dado rail and architraves, an enriched plaster frieze, and a fireplace with marble inner surround, lugged architrave, carved scrolls to the frieze and carved cornice.

Styche was the family home of the Clive family. Lord Clive was born in the old timber-framed house on the site in 1725 and subsequently employed Chambers to rebuild it between 1762 and 1766. It is possible that the second floor was added between 1796 and 1798, at the same time as the bays.