Cavendish House

Cavendish House, Markyate High Street

A house and shop, originally built in the 16th century with significant developments in the early to mid 18th century and mid 19th century alterations.

The building comprises a substantial 9-window, 2-storey main range facing east, raised above a half-basement, with a northern parlour wing and north-western stair tower. The north parlour wing and north-west stair are probably early 17th century. The front is constructed of fine red brick in header bond with stucco dressings, while the north wing is cased in red brick in Flemish bond. The building has a timber frame structure on a stuccoed plinth, with roughcast facing to the rear. Very steep old red tile roofs cover the main building, with slated lean-to extensions to the rear.

The east-facing front elevation displays a high stucco plinth with two stucco keystone arches lighting basement windows. Flush box sash windows sit under segmental gauged arches to ground and first floors. The central entrance comprises mid 19th century half-glazed double doors in a stucco surround, topped with a man's face (possibly Shakespeare) on the keystone, flanked by scrolled brackets. Four steps lead to the door between tall pedestars carrying undersized Doric columns supporting a wide projecting dentilled triangular-pedimented hood of 18th century origin. A small semi-circular window above the porch lights the stair landing. The southern part of the range is set back and features an arched carriageway through its south end bay containing wide boarded double doors with a wicket, crowned by a wide elliptical gauged red brick arch with stucco impost blocks and pilasters.

The north wing has scrolled stucco brackets to the eaves cornice and twin canted bays with 1/1, 2/2, and 1/2 pane sash windows above panelled stucco bases flanked by pilasters. A shop entrance uses one of the bay windows, accessed via a half-glazed door in the white weatherboarded east end of a mid 19th century lean-to conservatory. The north wing has a large projecting chimney with two flues in the centre of the rear wall and a gabled stair tower to the rear linked to the garden by a Victorian glazed passage. The northern 2-window section of the main range rises higher, exposing timber framing in its south gable. The remainder features a front parapet.

The main range has a gallery or first-floor passage running outside the structural rear wall, suggesting the building was originally constructed as an inn. Timber frame is exposed in the carriageway and rear wall. A gabled single-bay 2-storey rear wing opposite the front entrance displays exposed timber framing with jowled posts, clasped-purlin roof with collar, and a cambered gable tie-beam cut to accommodate a sash window with 8/8 panes. It has painted brick infill and a large north-side lateral chimney with three flues, which also serves a shorter gabled projection aligned with the north-west stair tower.

The absence of a major central chimney stack, the use of rear corner fireplaces for the main ground floor rooms, and jowled bay-posts flanking the present central stairwell indicate that a large internal chimney was removed from the narrow central bay during the early to mid 18th century alterations.

The interior contains a fielded panelled room over the carriageway. A 18th century closed string moulded staircase with turned balusters and square panelled newel posts rises from the central entrance. The ground floor rooms feature moulded cornices, panelled dados, 2-panel moulded doors, and white marble corner fireplace surrounds (without shelves) with fluted keystones to stilted flat arches. Timber structure throughout shows straight braces running from front and rear walls to tie-beams, side-purlin roof structure, and cased axial beams. An 18th century 2-panel door with H and I-L hinges is evident.

The entrance hall features elaborate decorated 19th century plasterwork to the ceiling executed in 17th century style. The north-west stairwell has a flamboyant large ceiling feature and a high-relief moulded plaster leaf-scroll surround to its west window, with a framed roundel portrait said to depict the Duke of Devonshire in the window head. The north window of this staircase has an enriched moulded surround.

Early and mid 18th century brick front and extensive alterations are evident, along with rear lean-to extensions, modifications to the entrance and north-west rear stairwell, and mid 19th century additions comprising twin bay windows to the north wing and a lean-to conservatory on the north end.