The Chantry

The Chantry is an 18th-century mansion, significantly altered and extended in the 19th century (1853-54). It stands within a landscaped park of approximately 124 acres, gifted to the town in 1927, and was formerly the residence of Sir Fitzroy Edward Kelly.

The north front retains the original 18th-century facade, consisting of three storeys and five window bays. It features a balustraded parapet, a modillioned cornice, and a pediment over the three-window central section, which projects slightly. A two-storey porte-cochère, added in the 19th century, is centrally positioned on this front, with coupled Tuscan columns on the ground storey, linked by bands of vermiculated rustication, and coupled Ionic columns framing “Palladian” arches on the first storey, topped with a balustraded parapet and urns. Two-storey 19th-century wings project slightly at the east and west ends, each with a single window bay, paired corner pilasters, and balustraded parapets. The south front presents three storeys and nine window bays, incorporating a heavy, bracketed cornice, a balustraded parapet, and a large, central two-storey bow window of three windows, framed by pairs of Ionic half columns on the first storey and rusticated pilasters on the ground storey. A further two-storey wing, of four window bays, extends to the west. A late 18th or early 19th-century stable block and courtyard are situated at the west end. The east front has two two-storey bays containing three windows each, and a Tuscan colonnade on the ground storey. All windows are double-hung sashes with glazing bars; the upper-storey windows have stucco shouldered architraves. The ground storey is rusticated, and the roofs are slate.