Queensbrry House

Queensberry House is a mansion built in 1898 by Col. R.W. Edis, designed in the Queen Anne style. Constructed primarily of red brick laid in English bond, with plaintiled roofs, the building has an irregular form, two main storeys with a basement and attics.

The south-facing garden front features a central range flanked by two gabled wings. The roofline is characterized by heavy wooden modillion cornices. Dormers with small-paned, two-light casement windows are set within the gables, and small-paned Diocletian windows are found at the apex of each gable. The main range has six windows, featuring small-paned sash windows with cased frames and flat, gauged arches topped with keystones. French doors with clear glass panels occupy the ground floor. A single-storey, open veranda with a lean-to roof is supported by columns and connects to ornate timber verandas with balconies projecting from each wing. The wings incorporate full-height canted bays, culminating in solid, fluted parapets with stone dressings. These bays feature two narrow eight-pane sash windows and a central French door providing access to the balcony on the upper floor. The ground floor has two full-length windows and a central double French door. Balustrades are open, and the verandas have arched openings supported by columns. Two internal and two end chimney stacks rise from the building, each featuring tall, narrow shafts and rows of clay pots.

The west-facing entrance front has a main entrance located at the north-west end, accessed via a stone doorcase with a triangular pediment, half-round columns with moulded bases and Ionic capitals, and a flight of three steps. The double doors have three raised fielded panels. Decorative drainpipes with ornate waterheads, dated 1898, flank the entrance stack. The north side, primarily housing service areas, exhibits a range of windows, mostly small-paned sashes with basement bars, plus Diocletian windows in the gable apices, a keyed oculus, and a Venetian window illuminating the half-landing of the main staircase. All windows have flat-gauged arches with keystones, except those in the basement, which have segmental brick arches.

The interior is described as fine, with three principal rooms distinguished by dentil cornices, panelled walls with shutters (decorated with egg-and-dart ornament), and ornate, 18th-century fireplace surrounds of carved woodwork and figured marble, two of which include raised steel grates, these elements having been taken from a previous house on the site. An Imperial staircase features heavy turned balusters and plain handrails. Bathrooms and lavatories retain their original fittings, enclosed by polished mahogany casings. The house was initially designed for the late Lord Wolverton. Colonel Edis, who later became a knight, served as President of the Architectural Association and was responsible for numerous important buildings, primarily in London. Boundary walls and gate piers are listed separately, while the outbuildings, including the stable block, are not considered of special interest.