Astwood Court

Astwood Court is a farmhouse, later adapted as a house, with origins dating back to around 1500. It was substantially remodelled during the mid- to late 18th century, with further alterations made in the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. The original timber-frame structure has largely been rebuilt in brick, with some areas showing brick refacing, and is covered by plain tiled roofs. The building has a T-plan arrangement; the main part comprises five bays oriented north-east/south-west. A large brick ridge stack is located at the junction of the first and second bays from the south-west end, and a further large chimney with three diagonal ridge stacks is situated in the fourth bay. A south-east wing projects from the third and fourth bays and features an external sandstone chimney with two diagonal brick stacks on its north-east side. A small porch wing connects to the south-west side of the wing and the main range.

The building is partially two storeys with an attic containing dormers and a cellar, and partially three storeys. A three-course band runs between the storeys of the main part and at eaves level at the south-west end. Further detailing includes a dentilled eaves cornice and moulded bargeboards. The windows are 20th-century casements with leaded lights.

The south-east elevation features two ground and first-floor three-light windows with cambered heads on the left side of the main part. The porch wing has a narrow single-light window on both ground and first floors, also with cambered heads; a two-course impost band flanks the head of the first-floor window. A 20th-century door with a moulded architrave is situated on the left side. The right side of the main part includes a lean-to addition with a catslide roof, a two-light first-floor window, a 20th-century porch on a brick pier, and a 20th-century door with a moulded architrave. The right side of the lean-to has a ground-floor two-light and a blind first-floor window, both with cambered heads, along with a square attic light. To the right of the lean-to are a ground-floor two-light and a second-floor two-light window. The south-east wing has a cellar window and a two-light ground-floor window at its gable end. The left side of the wing features glazed double doors with a transom light and a cambered head, and a three-light first-floor window; the right side has a two-light first-floor window.

The interior, while uninspected, is documented to retain portions of original framing within the south-east wing (formerly the solar), including two cusped tie-beam trusses with cusped raking struts, decorated with scrolled vine paintings. The central room of the main part retains fragments of panelling reset within 19th-century work and inscribed with the name of John Culpepper. The Culpepper family occupied the house during the 16th and early 17th centuries. The house is situated on a moated site, with the moat remaining complete and filled with water.