Orchard Close Orchard Dene The Orchard

NITON AND WHITWELL

SZ57NW UNDERCLIFF DRIVE 1353-0/6/238 The Orchard, Orchard Dene and Orchard Close

GV II

Originally a large marine villa, now divided into flats. Remodelled or rebuilt c1813 from an existing cottage orne and extended by Sir Willougby Gordon Bart A.D.C. to the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular Wars and later Quartermaster General of the Forces and Private Military Secretary to the Duke of York, whose principal residence was North Court in Shorwell Parish (qv). Asymmetrical, rambling building in the Gothic style built of Isle of Wight ashlar. Slate roof with stone chimneystacks. The central part of the garden front is of 2 storeys 3 windows. 3 gables with kneelers and blank shields. The principal feature is a very large 13 light canted bay of sashes with trefoliated heads supported on clustered cast iron supports with tent-shaped canopy above. Behind this are windows with cambered heads and double French windows. Under the right side gable is a double 8 pane sash with hood moulding. Left side doorcase with 4 centred arch and 8 Gothick headed panes with fanlight of intersecting glazing bars above. The left side has a 2 storey canted bay. The right hand wing is of 3 storeys with hipped roof, 3 double Gothick windows to 2nd floor and large 4 light canted bay to 1st floor. To the left is a further 2 storey portion (Orchard Dene) which has 2 gothick headed lights on the 1st floor and 4 large 4-light windows on the ground floor with trefoliated headed sashes and hood moulding. The left hand side's of white brick with 1 casement having trefoliated head and 1st floor 4 light canted bay. To the rear is Orchard Close, of white brick with hipped slate roof and cemented chimneystacks in similar style. Interior of the Orchard has several early C19 plaster reliefs of the Parthenon friezes, a wine cellar with slate shelves and a staircase hall with stone flags and curved staircase with clustered iron balusters and mahogany handrail. On the site was a C16 house owned by the Orchard family but no trace of this was found at the time of survey. Many sketches of the Orchard and its garden were made by J M Turner and Sir David Wilkie R.A. The poet Algernon Swinburne was a nephew of Lady Gordon and was a frequent visitor. His poem "A Forsaken Garden" 1876 is thought to describe the garden at the Orchard. The house is shown in an aquatint after John Grendall published in Ackermann's Repository of Arts April 1826 and also in a print of 1821. One of the most significant early C19 villas in the Undercliff area of the Isle of Wight. (Niton Calling: 19 - 30; Richard J Hutchings and Raymond V Turley 1978: Young Algernon Swinburne: 21).

Listing NGR: SZ5126576068