Ashorne Hill Management College

Country house, now management training centre. Built 1895–7. Designed by E. Goldie for Arthur and Ethel Tree of Chicago. Constructed in dressed stone with ashlar dressings; some blue brick with ashlar dressings to front; tile roof with brick and ashlar stacks featuring diagonal or octagonal shafts. Jacobean style.

The plan is E-shaped with a rear wing. The symmetrical entrance front has three storeys with a projecting centre under three gables and a two-storey re-entrant block to the left. Plinth, string courses, coped parapets and coped gables throughout. Most windows feature ovolo mullions, some hollow-chamfered; those to the brick part double-chamfered with labels and leaded glazing.

The main entrance has a four-centred head and label mould with a crenellated parapet. The inner entrance contains a good door. A two-storey canted bay above has 2:3:2-light mullioned windows, the first-floor window transomed. The deep parapet displays a relief panel of a tree. Flanking bays of the centre in blue brick are positioned below the gables; the ground floor has a three-light transomed window to the left and a cross-mullioned window to the right, with two-light windows above. Cross-axial stacks to the centre feature four octagonal shafts to the left and three diagonal shafts to the right.

The re-entrant bay to the left has a plain parapet and a three-light transomed window to the ground floor with a two-light window above, plus a three-light transomed window to the second floor. To the right of centre stands a small re-entrant block for passage access with small lights, a three-light transomed window to the first floor and a five-light second-floor window.

The wings contain five-light second-floor windows and three-light gable windows to their ends. The left wing has a two-storey canted bay with coped parapet over 1:5:1-light windows, with two transoms to the ground floor; a five-light, two-transom, window to the inner return, with single-lights and three-light windows above. The right wing has two-storey bowed windows with 3:3:3-light mullioned windows with king mullions and two transoms to the ground floor; the inner return contains three two-light, two-transom, ground-floor windows and five-light and three-light windows above.

The right return has three gablets to the centre and flanking projecting lateral stacks; the left stack has a diagonal shaft to each end, while the right stack is corbelled out from the second floor but now truncated. Entrances to the centre and left end have nowy heads to paired small-paned glazed doors with large cross-mullioned overlights. The entrance to the right end bears the inscription "FLORES TERRAE STELLAE" to a shaped lintel. The ground floor has a two-light, two-transom, window to the left of centre and a three-light transomed window to the right of centre, with a large five-light, two-transom, window to the right end. Two-light and some single-light windows appear above, including a canted balcony with timber balustrade and canted canopy to the first floor, with a glazed door and side lights.

The left return has a central gabled forward break with an entrance featuring a four-centred head and label to the right of a five-light transomed window. To the right end stands a lean-to inglenook with small lights and a large T-plan external stack with octagonal and round shafts. The left wing has a lower roof with two brick cross-axial stacks, a gablet, five-light windows and an inserted entrance to the left.

The rear features a large projecting square stair tower to the left of centre with a crenellated parapet; a half-canted hall bay window to the right and a parapeted re-entrant block to the left, with a service wing to the right end. The tower entrance has a four-centred head and panelled door with a low window to the right; a six-light transomed stair window and four-light and three-light windows above. The half-canted bay has a parapet and a window of five and three round-headed lights with three transoms. The re-entrant block, originally single-storey, contains a nine-light, two-transom, bow window with parapet and two-light windows above; to the right are two-light and three-light windows, transomed to the ground floor and to two gabled half-dormers. The wing has three-light windows and connects at its end to a 1960s block.

Interior: The hall features two large four-centred arches to the bay window and stair. Panelling with cornice and ovolo-chamfered beams with exposed joists. A gallery to two sides has plinths bearing Doric columns with entasis supporting an entablature and balustrade with turned balusters. A tall angle fireplace to the right of the stair window has columns and corbels supporting a lintel with a low-relief frieze of waves and sea creatures, wattle pattern and Vitruvian scroll above. The overmantel originally displayed low relief of a tree, figures and portrait busts but is now plain; two lights with architraves and swan-necked pediments and entablature. An open-well cut-string staircase features grotesque panels and finials to newels and turned balusters.

The drawing room to the right wing is richly decorated with enriched panelling, cornice and plaster ceiling. The chimney breast has an entablature with swags to the frieze over a marble fireplace with columns and an overmantel with eared architrave and swan-necked pediment. An end window recess has Corinthian angle pilasters and columns paired in depth to a similar entablature; a similar recess to the other end is partly covered. The rear boudoir is an octagonal room with rich Rococo decoration, a spiral staircase in an angle and an entrance with side lights and overlight to an end room, which contains a white veined marble Rococo-style angle fireplace and a round panel to the ceiling.

The dining room to the left of the entrance has full-height panelling, a ribbed ceiling and a fireplace with Tuscan columns and an overmantel flanked by paired Ionic columns. A recess to the end is fitted with a desk and shelves. The billiard room, now a library, to the left wing has a wood cornice; a large inglenook with a three-centred arch, veined marble Ionic columns, bracketed entablature and an overmantel with five arched panels between colonnettes and pilasters. Panelled doors and rooms to upper floors retain architraves to panelled doors, fireplaces, baths and other features.

This is a good example of late nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts-inspired architecture.