Offley Place (Hertfordshire Educational Department Residential Centre) And Linked North Service Block

OFFLEY KINGS WALDEN ROAD TL 1426 & TL 1427 (East side) Great Offley

12/96 & 13/96 Offley Place 9.6.52 (Hertfordshire Educational Department: Residential Centre) and linked N service block

GV II

Country house, now in educational use. 1806-10 by Sir Robert Smirke for Rev Lynch Salusbury incorporating C17 E wing of manor house of Offley St Ledgers (recased), stair tower reduced to general height 1929 for Colonel Acland. Used for educational purposes since 1943. Red brick in Flemish-bond with white brick dressings, front range stuccoed in later C19. Hipped slate roofs. A tall symmetrical Gothick 3-storeys house facing W set in parkland to N of parish church, and formerly with a higher square central crenelated stair tower with 3 clearstorey windows in each face reminiscent of Wyatt's design for Ashridge. Diagonal buttresses to angles (paired corner buttresses added to 3-storeys old E wing). 5 windows wide W front has narrow projecting central bay, gabled, with diagonal buttresses and projecting Gothick porch with pointed archway and rib-vaulted ceiling. 2-light mullioned and transomed windows, smaller windows to 2nd floor. These windows have wooden sliding sashes. Neale engraving shows twin canted single-storey crenelated bay windows on S end, now gone. E face of this S end still in original brickwork with tall pointed niche with gauged brick vaulted head. Rectangular 2-storeys service wing to N has square corner turrets with pointed slits. 2 linking contemporary single-storey ranges with disproportionately large painted corbels below eaves. Original interior arrangement had Drawing Room on S of entrance with Dining Room to rear of it: Breakfast Room on N of entrance with small Parlour to rear. Lofty ground floor of older E wing was the Library. Entrance into wide stone paved hall by glazed timber Gothick screen, archway to square central stair hall with three pointed windows in sides and lay-light under a lantern. Single stair up sides of tower and stone steps down to library. Copper Arts and Crafts chandelier hanging central. Heavy pointed double doors with narrow panels with cusped heads. SW room has C18 white marble classical fire surround. Upper floors have 6-panels moulded divided doors. Former library has 4-centred stone fireplace and twin coved niches on W wall with shaped shelves. (RCHM (1911)161: Pevsner (1977)265: RCHM Typescript).

Listing NGR: TL1451127004