Norgrove Court

Norgrove Court is a house of exceptional architectural interest, built around 1649 for William Cookes. The building underwent mid-19th century alterations and was restored around 1970–1975. It is constructed of handmade brick laid in English bond with sandstone ashlar dressings. The roof is hipped and covered in plain tiles, featuring broad eaves supported on shaped brackets. Panelled brick ridge stacks are positioned symmetrically near each end of the front and rear roofline, and a massive central octagonal brick stack with moulded cornice dominates the roofscape.

Plan and Structure

The house has a rectangular double-depth plan. At the front, a central four-bay hall with a great chamber above is flanked by parlours and chambers. The main stair hall is located behind the right-hand end of the hall. Originally, the hall had a screens passage at its left end, leading to servants' stairs, service rooms, and the kitchen to the rear left (northwest). The stairs and mezzanine floors at the rear create asymmetry in the rear elevation. A remodelling around the 1820s introduced a small entrance hall on the right (east) side.

The building has two main storeys, an attic, and a cellar, with mezzanine levels. An ashlar plinth band runs along the base, with string courses between the main storeys and at eaves level. Windows are generally of the splayed mullion and transom type with moulded architraves, though some have been replaced with wooden windows.

South Garden Elevation

The south garden elevation is articulated across eight bays in an almost Mannerist rhythm of 2:1:2:1:2. The outer pairs of bays are placed close together, while the four central bays are grouped but spaced further apart than the outer pairs. On the first floor, the third and sixth bays have their lower lights occupied by glazed double doors that reach down to the string course level, with 20th-century wooden balconies on shaped brackets. The lintels are carved with a pair of raised rectangular panels. The lower lights of the two central ground-floor windows have been replaced by glazed double doors. An eaves bracket to the left of the sixth bay is carved with the date 1649.

North Elevation

The north elevation has irregular fenestration. The third and sixth bays feature six-light staircase windows with doorways beneath.

East Side Elevation

The main entrance is presently in the east side elevation, which has five bays. There are no ground-floor windows in the fourth and fifth bays, as a single-storey wing (now demolished) once adjoined this elevation. The elevation features a central skylight and a central entrance with a part-glazed panelled door.

West Side Elevation

Except for one first-floor window, the windows in the west side elevation have been replaced. The central entrance has a three-centred arched head with stepped voussoirs.

Interior

The unusual plan is expressed externally. The main staircase is the original oak structure, though it has been turned around and much restored. It has large, boldly detailed newels with carved finials and balusters of a similar but simplified outline.

The southeast and northeast chambers have elaborate overmantels and friezes. The southeast example is a surprisingly late piece of plasterwork taken from an engraving by Vriedman de Vries. The southwest chamber has a single chimneypiece and moulded ceiling cornices.

A small back parlour at mezzanine level off the main stairs has panelling, moulded ceiling cornices, a fireplace, and an overmantel with caryatids. The hall has a 20th-century chimneypiece, and the southeast parlour has a pilastered chimneypiece.

The servants' stairs have three-centred arch doorways with moulded balusters descending to the kitchen and splat balusters rising to the attics. The original roof structure is largely intact, with collars to principal rafters, butt purlins, and a diagonally trenched ridgepiece.

Historical Context

The house was divided into two farmhouses around 1823 and later converted into tenements, when some of the ground-floor detail was removed. The house displays an unusual and deceptively complex design that is advanced for its date, while the detailing is curiously old-fashioned. The roof was undoubtedly intended to have dormer windows, and the vast chimney stack appears to be a more practical alternative to a lantern and cupola as the dominant central feature. The original design of the south front is less certain, but probably solid first-floor doors and flights of steps instead of balconies were intended to give the required emphasis to this elevation.