Mansion House

The Mansion House, formerly known as Prospect House, is a late 18th-century building located on Liebenrood Road in Prospect Park, Reading. It features a large formal design with a prominent central section flanked by side wings that end in semi-domed segmental bays. The building is two storeys high and constructed of stucco, with a stucco string course at the first floor level, a moulded stone cornice, and a blocking course. The hipped slate roof adds to its grandeur.

The central block is adorned with a hexastyle Ionic portico made of Portland stone, which rests on a raised stone base. A balustrade that was mentioned in a previous listing has been removed. The building has glazing bar sash windows, with five on the first floor and four on the ground floor, each set in recessed openings beneath the portico and featuring balustraded panels below. The central entrance door is framed by a radiating wreathed fanlight and strip pilasters, which are topped with acanthus leaf capitals and a cornice. The returns of the central section have full-height canted bays and three ranges of windows. Notably, the west bay window includes a verandah balcony on the first floor.

The side wings connect to a short two-storey link that has one window, which is a three-light window set in a recessed segmental arch on the ground floor. The end pavilions feature large segmental bays with three windows each. All ground floor windows have recessed panels beneath their sills. The west end of the rear block includes end piers with blind oculi on the first floor and niches on the ground floor.

To the north, there are the servants' quarters, which rise to three storeys and exhibit a change in floor levels. These symmetrical wings each contain four windows and are made of colourwashed brick. A central recess features a large arched stair window, while a single-storey outer hall between the wings includes a later porte cochere with a fluted Greek Doric portico and a plain arched doorway.

Inside, the hall is decorated in a contemporary style, featuring a good iron balustrade on the stair and a colonnaded landing on the first floor. The interior layout, with apsed ends to the hall and drawing room meeting at right angles, results in some unusual architectural features and good decoration throughout.