Hylands

Hylands is a country house built circa 1728 for Sir John Comyns MP. The house underwent remodelling in the early 19th century in Palladian style, proposed by Humphry Repton. The west wing was added between 1815 and 1818 by P C Labouchere, and the east wing between 1842 and 1848 by J Attwood. The building was restored in 1986–7 by Chelmsford Borough Council. An earlier east wing, designed by Kortright between 1797 and 1803, was replaced by Attwood's extension.

The house is constructed of stuccoed brick with a hipped slate roof behind a blocking course. The stuccoed chimney stacks have cornices, and the building follows a neo-classical style throughout.

The central two-storeyed block is the dominant feature, with a 2:3:2 bay arrangement flanked by coupled end pilasters and a corniced parapet. It is crowned by a slated, dormered mansard roof with eight chimney stacks. A tetrastyle pedimented portico in the unfluted Ionic order rises through both storeys across the three central windows flanked by pilasters. The entablature mouldings are plain, with the frieze and architrave undivided by mouldings. The inner capitals are parallel-sided, whilst the volutes of the corner capitals are joined at an angle. The columns are paired on plain stone plinths and the ceiling is panelled. A semi-circular arched central doorway with a Tuscan portico and modillion cornice is flanked by semi-circular arched windows. A palmette and rosette frieze runs along the top of the upper windows.

The west wing, designed by P C Labouchere between 1815 and 1818, is single-storeyed with a similar corniced parapet and hipped roof. It features a five-window range with the central three bays breaking forward slightly to form an Ionic tetrastyle colonnade in antis. A semi-circular arched doorway was inserted in one of the window openings in 1908.

The east wing, designed by J Attwood between 1842 and 1848, follows the design of the earlier west wing but is slightly longer. It replaced Kortright's first extension of 1797–1803. The two end bays at the back of the central block have bow windows from the 1797–1803 phase, which were later splayed between 1842 and 1848.

All windows throughout are double-hung sashes with glazing bars.

The interior contains good quality spaces including a drawing room and banqueting hall with neo-Baroque decoration. The stairhall features an elaborate iron balustrade to the staircase, and the entrance hall and stairhall contain plasterwork to designs by Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The house is situated within a 500-acre park.