Wacklands

Wacklands is a house built in 1736 by William Thatcher, with later 18th-century extensions to the rear and a 1970s extension. The original section is faced with red mathematical tiles on a stone base, and has an old tiled roof with brick chimneystacks at the gable ends. Two storeys and a basement are present, with five windows to the front. The gables have kneelers, and the stone stringcourse is dated WTE 1736. There is a modillion eaves cornice. The first-floor windows have nine panes each; the ground-floor windows have twelve panes and wooden keystones. Four-light semi-basement windows are located on the left side, incorporating stone mullions. A porch and the room above it, which was used for spectators of cockfighting, have been demolished since the original survey. The central doorcase features a wooden pediment and brackets, reeded pilasters, panelled reveals, a rectangular fanlight, and a four-panelled door with the top two panels glazed, accessed by three stone steps. Two iron, Neo-Classical footscrapers are present. On the right side is a late 18th-century extension of red brick with grey headers, incorporating a canted bay to the ground floor and an S-shaped iron tie. Attached to this extension are four steps forming a mounting block and a small gate set in a red brick wall that divides the house from the farm; the steps are accommodated within a V-shaped niche. A late 18th-century wing extends to the rear; it is constructed of stone rubble with brick dressings and an external brick chimneystack, featuring a sixteen-pane sash window and a six-fielded panelled door.

The interior includes a ground-floor panelled room from 1736, featuring a later 18th-century marble fireplace. The staircase has stick balusters and dado panelling. An upper-floor panelled room mirrors the ground-floor room in design. An early 19th-century basket grate sits within a marble, eared surround. Six-fielded panelled doors are located upstairs. The kitchen exhibits blocks of stone with early 19th-century carvings depicting warships in the Solent. A memorial site dating from 1249, formerly belonging to Quarr Abbey, is also present, along with what is said to be the monks’ fish stew.