The Necessary House is a Grade II listed building in the East Staffordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 May 1985. Summerhouse.

The Necessary House

WRENN ID
veiled-brass-cedar
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
East Staffordshire
Constituency
Burton and Uttoxeter MP: Jacob Collier (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
30 May 1985
Type
Summerhouse
Address
The Necessary House, Okeover
OS grid reference
SK 156 481
Coordinates
53.03019, -1.76805
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Necessary House is a former privy that has been converted into a summerhouse, built in the mid-18th century by Joseph Sanderson for Leak Okeover. The structure is rendered with an ashlar plinth and dressings, serving as a classical garden feature. It features a moulded open pediment and a tripartite arrangement of arched openings, with the outer openings functioning as windows and the central opening serving as the entrance, which has shallow rusticated dressings and voussoirs. The interior is plastered, and two stone privies flank the entrance. Sanderson's drawing for the building still exists, and it is referenced in a letter from him dated November 22nd, 1746.

Local climate

The Necessary House receives an average of 870 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 62% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 55% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 43 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 23 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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  10. Gates, Piers and Railings Immediately North East of Okeover Hall Grade II* 177 m