Brickendon Bury

Brickendon Bury is a country house, now used as laboratories and offices, dating to the early 18th century. It was originally built for Thomas Clarke on a moated site, with substantial additions around 1760 for the Morgan family. Further alterations and a west service wing were added in the early 19th century by William Dent. In 1885-6, Charles Grey Hill redesigned the central tower, and likely the free-standing porte-coachere was built at this time. Modernization followed in the 1890s by George Pearson, with extensive alterations and extensions around 1909 led by Sir Edward Pearson, civil engineer, including the upper parts of the west end and the Jacobean Room. By 1919, the estate included an electric generator, telephone, central heating and a fire station. During the Second World War, it served as headquarters for the Special Operations Executive (Europe) and was visited by Sir Winston Churchill. Later, it housed the National Agricultural Advisory Service until the late 1960s. It was purchased in 1971 by the present owners, the Malaysian Rubber Producers Research Association.

The original house is constructed of red brick with stone quoins and giant order pilasters to the front, although most of the brickwork has been stuccoed, with all extensions being modern additions. A bath stone porte-coachere is present. The roofs are covered in slate, with slate hanging to gabled dormers on the east side and half-timbering on the south side. The building is set within parkland on an ancient moated site, facing north, with a long avenue extending towards Hertford.

The nine-window north front features windows arranged 2:1:3:1:2, with taller Corinthian pilasters and a higher cornice that supports a triangular pediment containing a circular window. A later addition is the balustrade and parapet with dies over the entablature of the outer bays. A first-floor band and rusticated quoins are also visible. Tall, recessed box sash windows have 6/6 panes on the first floor and 9/9 panes on the ground floor. A small timber porch connects to a single-storey, three-bay stone arcaded Doric porte-coachere aligned on the main axis. A lower, two-storey parapeted service wing is set back on the west side, and a tall square stucco tower with balustrades and arched chimneys is centrally positioned. The south front is nine windows long, with wide sash dormers, a central canted bay, and a Tuscan stone colonnade or loggia extending along the entire front. Blind box sash windows with 6/1 panes are present on the first floor. French windows open onto the ground floor.

The interior features a two-storey entrance hall with a gallery, and four rooms showcasing gilt plaster decoration on the walls, cornices, and decorative plaster ceilings in an Adam style. Fine moulded mahogany six-panel doors and a staircase (now renewed) can also be found within.