Flitwick Manor

Flitwick Manor is a house with an original core dating back to the earlier 17th century, likely built for Edward Blofield. It was significantly reworked around 1736, extended in the late 18th century and at various points in the 19th century, and altered in 1936 by Sir Albert Richardson. The eastern block, constructed around 1736, is of red brick, incorporating some vitrified headers and encapsulating the older 17th-century structure. Later additions are also in red brick, with a 1872 addition using colourwashed concrete blocks. The roofs are covered with clay tiles. The house has a complex plan, beginning with a north-south block and later additions to the northwest, southwest, and southeast angles of varying heights.

The east elevation’s right-hand portion features a six-bay facade arranged somewhat irregularly. A tall, panelled parapet sits above a steep-pitched hipped roof, mirroring the window arrangement. Five flush sash windows with glazing bars are present on each floor, set beneath gauged brick flat arches. A blind window occupies the first floor’s second bay. A six-moulded-panel door, within a moulded surround topped by an open pediment on cut brackets, is situated in the ground floor’s second bay. Brick bands mark the first-floor level and eaves. A substantial 17th-century red brick ridge stack with four linked square-section shafts is a prominent feature. The left-hand portion of the east elevation was reworked and extended in the late 18th and 19th centuries, creating a pair of projecting gables. The right-hand gable retains 18th-century work at its junction with the main facade, with the front section being constructed of late 19th-century chequered brick. Flush sash windows are found in the earlier part, while the later section has sash windows in reveals, all featuring glazing bars. The left-hand gable, seemingly dating back to the late 18th century, contains a blind window on each floor. Its south elevation has a two-storey canted bay with sash windows incorporating glazing bars under gauged brick flat heads.

The north elevation showcases two stories and attics, with a Mansard roof behind a plain parapet. Part of the wall was rebuilt in 1936. Sash windows with glazing bars are located here; four on the ground floor and five on the first floor. The first-floor windows are flush sashes under gauged brick flat heads, with the left one narrower than the others. Ground-floor windows are 19th-century in style, with cambered heads. The attic has three box dormers featuring three-light leaded casements. Integral brick stacks and brick coping adorn both gables. The south elevation’s 1872 gabled addition has a ground-floor canted bay, a tripartite sash window with glazing bars on the first floor, and pierced decorative bargeboards. The southwest block, now a dining room, retains its original two-light Gothick window within the attic gable, while the others were replaced with Venetian windows in 1936.

Inside, the main block’s entrance hall features an inglenook fireplace served by the 17th-century stack and half-height 17th-century panelling. The right-hand ground-floor room of the main block has mid-18th-century panelling and a moulded cornice, with plainer panelling above. The southeast ground-floor room, with its canted bay, exhibits late 18th-century Adam-style decoration, including pilasters and a cornice. Fairly plain 18th- and 19th-century staircases are also present. Stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops are a notable detail.