Whitton Court

Whitton Court is a Grade I listed manor house, mostly dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, though reputed to have an original core from around 1140. The building has been extended and restored circa 1862 and again in 1883.

The main structure is constructed of early brick with ashlar dressings on a stone rubble plinth. The timber frame is painted with painted infill panels, and the courtyard walls are of stone rubble with ashlar dressings. The roofs are plain tile with ashlar-coped gables. The eaves stacks are projecting brick with upper diagonal and spurred shafts and caps.

The original plan is U-shaped, with the main hall to the south and cross wings to the east and west, now forming four sides around a small courtyard. Two sides of the courtyard are 19th century additions.

The exterior is two storeys with an attic and cellar. The south front features cyma-moulded stone string courses at the first and attic floor levels. The central large gabled front block is flanked by advanced gabled bays. At attic level, the central front has a stone 2-mullion window with stone surround and hoodmould. The first floor has two large stone 3-mullion and transom windows in stone surrounds, flanked by smaller stone mullion windows. A similar large window appears at ground floor level, also flanked by smaller stone mullion windows. To the right is a projecting rectangular porch with a stone mullion window and a studded boarded door to the side, with an ashlar doorcase.

At each end of the central front block are projecting gables belonging to the cross wings, each with a single 2-mullion window in a stone surround at attic level. Both have two-storey canted bay window projections with crenellated ashlar parapets over large canted stone mullion and transom windows at each floor. The return walls of these projecting gables have single-light windows at both floors, some retaining their original leaded lights.

The east return side has a central gable with a projecting brick stack to the left and a projecting gabled bay to the right. The central gable features 3-light and 2-light mullion windows at both floors, with a 2-light mullioned window at attic level. The projecting gabled bay also has a 2-light mullioned window. Single-light windows appear to the left of the stack. All windows have cyma-moulded cornices over the window heads.

The west return side has three projecting brick stacks and one integral stone stack, with a gable to the right. The gable contains 3- and 4-light mullion and transom windows at both floors, one elaborated into a tall staircase window to the left, and a 3-light mullion window at attic level. A range of four mullion and transom windows appears to the left, with a boarded door at ground floor.

The north side is mostly restored but retains an ashlar segmental arched door surround with moulded chamfer and stepped hoodmould.

The south wing courtyard side is of stone rubble with a projecting brick stack flanked by stone 2-mullion and transom windows at first-floor level and a stone mullion window with cusped ogee heads at ground floor. A pointed arched doorway appears to the left, with stone mullion windows with cusped ogee heads at first-floor level to the far left.

The west wing courtyard side comprises four framed bays with decorative framing. The ground floor has close-studded framing with sill, studs, middle rails, and 3-mullion and transom windows in the left-hand bays, with posts and console brackets supporting a jettied moulded bressumer. The first floor has square framing with decorative raking-stud framing and two mullion and transom windows with moulded sills on brackets, set over decorative panels. A large central mullioned dormer window at attic level has a jettied bressumer to a decorative dormer truss over.

The other two courtyard walls are mid-19th century brick. One contains a post with console bracket as a vestige of the original framed wall.

The interior of the south wing features an arched 15th century stone doorway with a double-ovolo-moulded arch leading to the screens passage. The hall screen is on one side, and the opposite wall is panelled with very deeply-set panels having ovolo-moulded heavy ribbed surrounds, all formed from original square-framed partition walls.

The hall is oak panelled with a deep cornice and is ornamented with 17th century paintings of vases of flowers, heraldic shields dated 1682, and a large hunting scene reputed to depict Sir Job Charlton. The hall is believed to be a former open hall, now with a 17th century inserted floor featuring a double-ovolo-moulded bridging beam and moulded edged plastered ceiling, with a possible minstrels gallery over the screens passage.

The staircase to the west of the hall has a toad-back moulded oak handrail and low turned balusters, two per open tread.

The White Room to the west of the hall retains complete painted 17th century panelling and a plastered cornice. The fireplace has a moulded corniced mantelshelf with brackets and an ovolo-moulded Tudor arched fireplace.

The Brown Parlour to the east of the hall has 18th century oak panelling with double-ovolo bridging and cross bridging beams.

The room over the hall features 17th century panelling and ornate plastered bridging beams and cornice. The room over the Brown Parlour has double-ovolo-moulded bridging beams.

The west wing has a six-bay double trenched roof with trusses comprising a straight tie beam, high collar, and twin low vertical struts. Square framed cross walls at lower floors contain framed former doorways adjacent to posts. The first floor has deep chamfered bridging beams with ogee stops, and the ground floor has ogee chamfered bridging beams.

A brick south front was added in 1621 for Sebastian Harvey, Lord Mayor of London. The property was subsequently sold to Sir John Charlton of Ludford for his younger brother Sir Job, who is depicted in the painted hall panelling.