Odsey House

Odsey House is a small country house built around 1723 for the Second Duke of Devonshire. It is a Palladian house with interior alterations executed in a style similar to designs by William Kent, possibly carried out for the Third Duke of Devonshire. Further alterations were made around 1795 and in the late 19th century.

The building is constructed of red brick with lighter red brick and gauged brick dressings, with plain tiled roofs. It rises three storeys above a semi-basement. The plan is double pile with symmetrical main facades of four bays. The central two bays of the rear elevation are slightly advanced and pedimented. The south-west side contains the main entrance, while a rear entrance at ground level has a covered passage leading to the rear kitchen, which is listed separately.

The house features parapets with plain stone copings. A raised brick band with soffit moulding runs below the third storey windows and across the large side stacks. The plinth is deep brick with segmental arched basement windows, each fitted with original six-paned hung sashes.

The south-east facade has four bays with fenestration replaced around 1795 and ground storey windows lowered. Windows are graded in size, with eighteen, twelve and nine-paned hung sashes recessed in painted plastered reveals and topped with flat gauged brick arches. The south-west entrance sits to the north of a stack, approached by stone steps with plain wrought iron railings. The doorcase has fluted wooden pilasters and columns supporting a Doric entablature and pediment, with an eight-raised and fielded panelled door.

The north-west facade retains original fenestration. It features a brick pediment broken by a central round-arched hung sash window, a tripartite hung sash stair window with round-headed central light, and two ground floor bull's eye windows flanking the passage. Single recessed bays on either side contain hung sash windows.

Interior arrangements preserve the original ground floor plan with a connected drawing room and dining room to the south-east and a rear staircase hall between the entrance lobby and a small north-east room. The dining room has ovolo moulded and fielded panelling of two heights with a moulded dado and cornice; the chimney piece is a later introduction. The drawing room features similar panelling but with an enriched modillion and dentil cornice as part of an Ionic pilastered chimney composition, flanked by a round-headed blind cupboard on one side and a matching cupboard on the other side with Corinthian pilasters supporting a round-headed arch with a painted shell interior. The details of the pilasters and cornices are similar to known work by William Kent.

The staircase hall has plain ovolo panelling. The staircase rises in straight flights to the attic floor. The lower flights, originally closed string, have been modified and rebuilt with alternately turned and twisted balusters to each tread and richly carved spandrels.

First floor rooms are slightly rearranged while the original plan is retained in the north-east room, which has a panelled porched entrance and small closet. Rooms are entered from a lobby with a wide segmental arch flanked by Doric pilasters. The bedrooms have plain ovolo panelling dados and cornices. Second floor rooms have 19th century panelling. A staircase to the semi-basement and rear kitchen passage echoes the first floor arrangement.

The basement contains two heated south-east rooms, a dairy, and two brick vaulted store rooms. The house and open courtyard were added to existing Odsey stables and jockey house. The Odsey races were revived during the reign of George II.