Stowe House

LICHFIELD

SK11SW NETHERSTOWE, Stowe 1094-1/1/248 (East side) 06/03/70 Stowe House

GV II*

House, now training centre. 1750s with early-mid C19 and C20 additions. For Elizabeth Aston. Brick with ashlar dressings; hipped slate roof with brick stacks. L-plan with later wings. Early Georgian style. 3 storeys and basement; symmetrical 5-window range; central forward break. Moulded stone coping to brick basement and top modillioned timber cornice and stone-coped brick parapet; quoins. Entrance has Ionic aedicule with pulvinated frieze to entablature and segmental pediment, paired 3-fielded-panel doors. Basement windows have rubbed brick flat arches over 6-pane horned sashes; upper windows have sills and architraves to 2/4-pane sashes, 4-pane sashes to 2nd floor; central windows have eared architraves, that to 1st floor with scrolls to shoulders. Left return has lean-to outshut with 4/8-pane sash and 12-pane sash; 1950s additions. Rear has wing projecting to right with canted end and cornice; end has architraved windows, tall ground-floor windows have 8-pane sashes, 1st-floor windows have 2/4-pane sashes. Rear has segmental-headed entrance with 2-light leaded window over segmental hood and fanlight over half-glazed door, tall sashed stair window above. Hipped wing to right with bowed window to ground floor, 1st floor window with Venetian sash and 2nd floor sashed Diocletian window; smaller gabled wing to left. Large early C20 wing to left has brick and ashlar pilasters and modillioned cornice; hipped tile roof. Windows with rubbed brick flat arches and 12-pane and 8-pane horned sashes. INTERIOR: hall has richly moulded cornice; open well stair has cut string with moulded tread ends, twisted-column-on-vase balusters, twisted column newels and moulded ramped and wreathed handrail, upper flight has baluster-on-vase balusters; eared architraves to 6-fielded-panel doors. Room to left has rich ceiling; panelled dado; 2 niches with enriched spandrels flank fireplace, one with door, one with glazed cupboard door; friezes to doorcases. Room to right has cornice. Room to rear left has beams with guilloche moulding; room to right wing has rich foliate cornice. The home from 1770-1 of Thomas Day, eccentric author of 'Sandford and Merton', and also for some time of Maria Edgeworth. A fine mid Georgian house retaining many good interior features. (Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Greenslade MW: Lichfield: Oxford: 1990-: 71; The Lichfield Guides (leaflets): Nicholls G: Literary Lichfield: Lichfield: 1981-).

Listing NGR: SK1230710213