Stocks House

Stocks House is a country house, later adapted for use as a country club. It was rebuilt in 1773 for Arnold Duncombe and subsequently enlarged in the late 18th century to double its original depth, with two rear (north) wings added. Further alterations were made in the late 19th century, including a three-story northwest service wing, and in the early 20th century for the novelist Mrs Humphrey Ward, whose family occupied the house from 1892 to 1922. It served as a girl's school until 1972.

The house is constructed of stuccoed brick with moulded architectural details, and has steep hipped tiled roofs with parapets. The plan reflects the building’s development over time. The original phase featured two large rooms on the south side, flanking an entrance hall leading to a rear stair hall. A third room, possibly a library, was situated on the west side of the entrance hall, with a projecting north chimney. A small room was added to the north of the library in a later phase. A further room was set back at the east end (now the entrance lobby, approached from the east) in another phase. Phase four saw the addition of a second rear wing on the east, followed by a new dining room and billiard room for the Humphrey Wards - this included a bay window to the drawing room and a three-story northwest wing. The original front porch was subsequently removed, and the freestanding staircase is a feature of the early 20th century.

Stocks House is two stories and attics, with six windows and three dormers on each main front. A string course, cornice, and parapets run along the tops of the elevations. Sash windows feature 6/6 panes. An ivy-covered northeast block has two matching sash windows on each of three floors. Each front has a projecting central feature, one with a bay window with three windows on each floor, and on the south side, a tripartite window with a pediment above and a bow window below. Sir Walter Scott is recorded as having stayed at the house, and the name Ivanhoe is said to be based on the nearby village of Ivinghoe. Frequent visitors included members of the Trevelyan, Arnold, and Huxley families.