Valentines Mansion

Valentines Mansion dates to the late 17th century, with substantial alterations in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The exterior is largely brick, with red dressings. The entrance front has an L-shape, with a two-storey projecting wing to the left. It is three storeys high, featuring sash windows with cased frames. The building has a cornice with shaped modillions and a capped parapet. A notable feature is the late 18th century porte cochere, constructed on a circular segment, with eight Doric columns, a partial entablature, and a flat-pitched slate roof (the roof is now extant only to the centre). Glazed doors lead into the entrance hall. A side elevation has six sash windows with a double band above the ground floor; a two-storey canted brick bay with a corniced top is on the right, and a further two-storey portion is set alongside. Rainwater heads bearing the Raymond family crest and the date 1769 are visible on this front, likely indicating the year of reconstruction. The garden front, or north front, is three storeys high, probably dating from 1769, with a five-window arrangement (2+5+2), the outer windows being full-height bows. Again, a double band runs above the ground floor, and the central window on the first floor has a pediment and architrave surround, with swept-up sides. An early 19th century cast iron balcony with a tented lead canopy is present to a window. The ground floor windows have jalousies. The interior includes a paved entrance hall with a late 17th century carved stone fireplace and a staircase hall with a well-staircase of twisted balusters and a ramped handrail, along with an enriched ceiling featuring fruit, flowers, and foliage. The Venetian staircase window contains shields of arms and other decorations in enamelled glass, likely of Regency date. An enquiry office boasts late 17th century panelling and an 18th century mantelpiece constructed from statuary and coloured marbles, with an early 19th century grate. Further late 17th century panelling and doors are found elsewhere. Valentines Mansion was built in the late 17th century by James Chadwick, son-in-law of Archbishop Tillotson, who reportedly frequented the house.