Wickham Place

Wickham Place is an early 18th-century house of timber-framed origin with a substantial faced main range of red and black brick, later extended in red brick. The building sits prominently on Station Road at Wickham Bishops.

The main range is covered by a hipped double range roof of red plain tiles, with large panelled red brick chimney stacks flanking the composition. The facade is symmetrical with a pedimented central bay projecting forward. The brickwork combines black brick with red brick quoins, while window dressings feature rubbed brick arches. A moulded cornice and band run beneath, articulated with 3:2:3 cornice panels and stone coping. An oval window with red brick keystones and dressing breaks the pediment, with a dentilled and moulded band beneath. The main elevation shows two storeys and a cellar. The first floor contains a 2:1:2 range of vertically sliding sashes with glazing bars set in moulded surrounds. The ground floor features left and right tripartite windows of similar character, with a central doorway between them. The doorway is elaborately detailed with moulded capitals and bases to fluted pilasters, a frieze of triglyphs and metopes, and a moulded flat canopy. The door itself is panelled with small-paned glazing.

A gateway in the red brick wall to the left leads into a small courtyard. Here stands a single-storey outbuilding with hipped roof and a semi-circular light over its doorway. To the right of the courtyard is an enclosed passageway with a 2-light door featuring Gothic heads. Beyond these, a two-storey extension with double range roof hipped to the left contains a two-window range similar to the main range, separated by a band. The fine brickwork, moulded bands and cornices continue to the rear of the main range, where a long stair bay window displays Gothic glazing bars. The ground floor rear has been altered with matching 20th-century French windows. An early 18th-century plinth wall of the former conservatory adjoins the old kitchen, featuring a timber core and circular brick corner column with moulded capping.

The interior is exceptionally detailed. The hall is panelled with alcoves and contains a chandelier from Hylands House, Chelmsford. A cast iron ventilator above the doorway extends as a shaft to a circular cast iron floor ventilator on the landing. All rooms in the main range retain panelled window shutters, moulded wainscots, dados and moulded surrounds to panelled doors; some original vertically boarded doors with period ironmongery appear in the extensions. The drawing room has an Ionic fireplace. Passage floors are laid with flags and tiles.

The old kitchen features a rectangular domed roof and retains an original elm plank dresser table with chamfered and moulded front legs, an overhanging dresser with moulded cornice, and some panelling. The sitting room contains a panelled fireplace and corner cupboard. A notable open dogleg staircase, dated circa 1700, rises through the hall to the landing with two iron twist and one fluted baluster per tread, a moulded and wreathed handrail, and a foliate-carved open string with moulded string beneath. The landing is panelled with jewelled soffit panels to its archway. The first floor retains mouldings and panelling matching the ground floor, including a good marble fireplace with lugs to its surround. A rear bedroom contains a panelled built-in cupboard with drawers and original thick glazing bars to the window. An extension kitchen houses a fine corner cupboard with fluted surround and curved shelves. The old dairy, with stop-chamfered bridging joists, retains an original marble wall table and storage shelves with hanging hooks to the ceiling beams.

The former Mill House adjoins Wickham Place to the front right.