Mansion House

Mansion House

A house, latterly farmhouse, with a timber-framed core dating to the early 17th century, early 18th-century alterations and additions, and a front range dated 1779 (rainwater head) built for Francis Waring. The building is constructed of brick with grey sandstone dressings.

The house is arranged in a double-range L-plan comprising a 17th-century range of three timber-framed bays, an early 18th-century wing at the rear, and a parallel range to the front added in 1779. It rises to two storeys with an attic, with a 2-span slate roof, hipped to the front with graded slates.

The front elevation features a chamfered stone plinth, first-floor cill band, frieze and moulded cornice, parapet with moulded stone coping, and a triangular pediment over the centre three bays bearing a stone shield and flanking husk festoons in the tympanum. The front has three brick lateral stacks at the rear of the front range, a brick ridge stack off-centre to the left of the rear range, and an integral brick end stack to the rear wing. The facade is arranged in 3:3:3 bays with a slightly projecting centre, featuring glazing bar sashes with stone cills and gauged-brick heads. The central first-floor window has fluted scrolled cill brackets, a lugged moulded architrave, and a stepped triple keystone with oval paterae. Three steps lead up to a 6-panelled door (lower flush) with moulded architrave. The doorcase consists of unfluted three-quarter columns with acanthus capitals, a fluted frieze with amphorae over the columns, and a triangular pediment.

The 4-bay left-hand return front has blind windows and a central 18th-century downpipe with a dated moulded rainwater head. The 2-bay right-hand return front has segmental-headed blind windows. The rear gable end features a stone-coped parapeted gable to the right with a blind circular window in the tympanum, and three 17th-century timber-framed dormers in the valley with 2-light leaded casements, moulded architraves, cornices, and triangular pedimented gables. The rear wing has a dentil-brick eaves cornice and stone-coped parapeted gable end.

Interior

The front range contains complete late 18th-century decoration. The entrance hall features a cantilevered 4-flight square-well staircase with open string, shaped brackets, two stick balusters to each tread, turned newel posts, moulded ramped handrail and curtail with columnar newel post and wreathed handrail. The cornices are enriched with egg and dart, dentils and alternating paterae on the soffit. The first-floor ceiling contains two delicate plaster roses with husk garlands.

The left-hand ground-floor room has a moulded dado rail, frieze with anthemion and palmette ornament, and enriched plaster cornice. The fireplace has panelled pilasters with husk garlands, frieze with acanthus and palmette ornament and central urn relief, and moulded cornice with bead and reel enrichment. The right-hand ground-floor room has a moulded dado rail, fluted frieze and dentil cornice. Its fireplace has a marble surround with husk ornament, fluted frieze with central urn relief, and enriched cornice. The bedrooms have moulded cornices and fireplaces with friezes and cornices. Six-panelled doors with panelled reveals and moulded architraves are throughout, along with panelled window reveals.

The 17th-century rear range has a roof with collar and tie-beam trusses and pairs of purlins. The timber-framed square-panelled cross-walls feature chamfered beams with ogee stops. The ground-floor rear room has 17th-century panelling with fluted frieze. The first floor at the rear has early 18th-century raised and fielded panelling and doors. The former kitchen in the left-hand ground-floor rear room has a large open fireplace with an early 19th-century surround consisting of panelled sides and moulded cornice, and a spit rack above. The early 18th-century kitchen wing at the rear has a large depressed-arched open fireplace with an early 19th-century surround consisting of Gothic-panelled sides, moulded cornice, and flanking arched recess.