Gatcombe House

Gatcombe House is a mansion built in 1751 for Sir Edward Worsley, representing the younger branch of the family whose principal seat was Appuldurcombe. It is one of three substantial 18th-century mansions on the Isle of Wight, alongside Appuldurcombe and Nunwell House, and occupies the site of one of the original Domesday manors.

The building is constructed of Isle of Wight tooled ashlar with ashlar dressings on the north and east elevations, which face the original carriage drive. The south elevation is rendered and the west elevation is brick. It has a hipped slate roof concealed by a pediment, with stone chimneys. The house comprises three storeys with a basement, and displays seven windows across its principal front. The north elevation has a ramped up parapet, with the central three bays projecting slightly and crowned by a pediment with end pilasters and quoins. The windows are 12-pane sashes set within moulded stone architraves with reeded keystones. A central round-headed niche on the second floor is a notable feature. The central portico has quoins, moulded cornice, and a moulded surround with reeded keystone, and is approached by early 19th-century double doors with a rectangular fanlight. Behind this is an inner door surround with eaved architraves and early 19th-century half-glazed double doors.

The east elevation contains six windows, with French windows on the ground floor featuring early 19th-century glazing bars. The south elevation, built of black header bond, has six windows similarly arranged, and contains a recessed centre with a first-floor Venetian window. A curved branched chimneystack to the rear kitchens allows light to penetrate this window. An engraving of 1808 shows a Venetian window formerly on the north front. Alterations around 1794 included filling in the semi-basement, which is now expressed as a plinth. A two-storey extension in stone rubble with mid 19th-century windows is attached to the west.

The interior contains several rooms of architectural interest. The entrance hall features an ovolo moulded cornice and four panelled doors with broken pediments. The drawing room has a foliated cornice, dado rail, and doorcases with reeded surrounds and paterae. The billiard room displays pine panelling on two sides and contains a double walnut door to the dining room with a palmette cornice. The dining room, formerly the breakfast room, is notable for its rococo plastered ceiling with alternate corner floral baskets and pelicans or cranes. A fine mid-18th-century well staircase features three turned balusters to each tread and scrolled tread ends. The study contains a marble fireplace with eared architraves. The kitchen preserves a large early 18th-century stone fireplace with keystones, and its walls are of header bond. The basement contains wine bins with slate shelves. Various bedrooms retain interesting features including fireplaces with eared architraves and swag panels, dado panelling, and marble surrounds. A large panelled room on the second floor at the east side, now subdivided, represents another significant interior space.

The use of ashlar only on the north and east fronts—those visible from the original approach—suggests the financial constraints faced by the younger branch of the Worsley family in maintaining appearances.