The Burystead

THE BURYSTEAD

A house, formerly the manor house, probably built around 1610 for Sir John Jolles, Alderman of the City of London, though some features appear to be of later date. The building was altered internally during the later 19th century.

The house is constructed of red brick laid in English bond with broad mortar courses, built on a high plinth characteristic of Fenland houses. The roof is of plain tiles with a gabled form and sawtooth eaves cornice. The gables terminate with end parapets on kneelers bearing finials, and a central apex finial on a corbel, all of moulded brick and some repaired. Two ridge stacks serve the centre range, with one to each wing. Each stack has two restored octagonal shafts on rectangular bases with moulded brick entablature. A later side stack serves the north wing.

The original plan is half-H shaped with symmetrical stair turrets positioned in the reentrant angles. The centre range rises two storeys and contains one 18th-century three-light first-floor casement and an enlarged ground-floor window, with reused red brick visible in the front wall. A modern doorway is also present at ground floor. The south stair turret has parapetted gables with finials similar to the main elevation, with one casement window to each flight.

The south wing is two storeys with an attic, likely serving as the family or guest wing. A principal doorway originally lay in the north side wall. Where original, window and door openings feature splayed reveals and header brick arches. The gable end contains an attic and first-floor casement with an inserted ground-floor window. The south wall windows are all 20th-century wood cross-frame casements with leaded lights, though evidence of original openings remains, including a notably large closet window at first-floor level. The rear elevation displays four gables, including those of the wings, all of which have been repaired; one has been substantially rebuilt. Fenestration here consists of 20th-century wood cross-frame casements with leaded lights, though original splayed openings survive with relieving arches to the gables. Three gables show straight joints running continuously from ground to first floor on either side of present windows, indicating that these locations originally contained two-storey bay windows. These were removed at a relatively early stage, as the brick infill dates to the 17th century.

The north wing probably contained the service quarters and is two storeys with an attic, nearly symmetrical with the south wing. Evidence of blocked window openings exists, with one original remaining window opening in the south wall featuring ovolo mullions and iron stay bars. A timber piece found when unbricking this window bears a date of 1752, indicating the window's blocking. The north stair turret mirrors the south in design, and its ground-floor doorway, though now partly blocked, is likely its original principal entry. The string course that runs around the entire exterior is here carried over one of the stair turret windows, which retains original ovolo moulding.

Internally, the plan remains intact, though the south ground floor has undergone some changes. The staircases were replaced during the 19th century. The centre block contains a large fireplace with shaped back wall and moulded cornice above the hearth opening, continuing around the chimney side wall. The south wing has an anteroom at its east end and a larger room with an original clunch fireplace, excepting the mantel and frieze. Main hearths feature ovolo mullions. The first floor of this wing retains an intact clunch hearth with surround formed of pilasters on bases with diamond enrichment and a frieze enriched with raised and fielded panels. Other rooms contain similar hearths with shaped backs but without surrounds. An inglenook hearth in the north wing is now blocked. The roof over the south wing and main range is of staggered butt purlin construction. The roof over the north wing has been rebuilt.

The house is of particular interest as an externally nearly intact example of a building of the period.