Brocket

Brocket is a former detached house, now council offices, built in 1906-7 to the designs of architect Clifton Robert Davy, FRIBA, for owner Henry Cooper. The builder was J K Cooper & Sons Ltd of Maidenhead. The house has experienced minor late 20th-century alterations.

The building is constructed of red brick with a tile roof, half-timbering and Ham Hill stone detailing. It is a substantial three-storey structure with the second floor contained within the roof space, and includes a partial cellar of several rooms to the west.

The plan comprises a generous entrance hall on the ground floor accessed via an off-centre main entrance to the north, flanked by reception rooms. A contemporary conservatory, originally described as the winter garden on the architect's plans, extends to the south-west. The main staircase is adjacent to the entrance with a back stair to the west. Service rooms including the kitchen, scullery and servants' hall occupy the north-west corner. The first floor contains a longitudinal corridor with bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms off. The second floor features a series of small servants' rooms within the eaves, also accessed from a longitudinal corridor.

The exterior displays two main facades. The northern entrance facade fronting Boyn Hill Avenue is characterised by a deep tiled roof interrupted by gables of varying sizes, tall brick chimneys with ranks of diagonal pots, and dormers. Two larger end gables are half-timbered; the gable to the west is decorated with quadrant-bracing. The entrance gable is predominantly in Ham Hill stone and features an oriel window above the entrance arch. This bay is embellished with carved floral plaques, a wreath surrounding the initials 'HC' for owner Henry Cooper, and the date 'AD 1907'. The arch and keystone are inscribed: 'THROUGH THIS OPENING GATE/NONE COME TOO EARLY NONE RETURN TOO LATE/WELCOME THE COMING SPEED THE PARTING GUEST.' The front door is round-headed with inserted lights. Windows feature mullions and mullion-and-transom combinations, all with leaded lights including a pair of large stair windows. The southern garden facade is asymmetrical, with two nearly identical projecting bays featuring hipped roofs, half-timbering to the first floor and canted bay windows. Ground-floor windows have mullion-and-transom design with Ham Hill stone surrounds. These bays flank a veranda supported on pegged and braced timber posts. The western winter garden conservatory is timber-framed above a brick dwarf wall with a glazed pitched roof.

The most decorative interiors are found on the ground floor. The large entrance hall is a handsome room featuring a series of round-headed moulded arches to the north in oak, oak panelling to the picture rail, and a timber ceiling with moulded beams and exposed joists. A feature fireplace contains an oak mantle and panelled overmantle with a copper fire surround and decorative tiles. Fireplaces throughout the property are well-preserved, many featuring moulded timber mantels, attractive tiles and decorated metal fire surrounds and grates. The former drawing room and dining room, to the south-east and south-west of the hall respectively, retain original plaster ceilings decorated with foliate swags and plaques. Decorative iron door and window furniture survives in good condition. A notable feature is the oak banister to the main staircase, which terminates with a lion's head on the ground floor and its tail at first-floor level. The first and second floors have undergone some modernisation including replacement of some internal doors with fire doors, though original features including several fireplaces survive and the plan-form remains largely as originally built. Service rooms on the ground floor retain glazed tile wall-treatment, with both solid wooden and heavy metal doors to the cellar. The kitchen range survives.

Ancillary features include a terrace to the south, paved with brick retaining walls capped in stone. To the north stands a handsome wall in brick and stone with projecting pilasters and piers topped with moulded caps and ball finials. Original wooden gates feature barley-sugar posts and decorative iron hinges, with further gate piers to the west and east.

The house exhibits the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, drawing on vernacular building traditions in its detailing and use of materials. Interior plasterwork was executed by local craftsman Mr Baldwin in consultation with the architect, while casements and ironwork were made by Mr E Norkett of Maidenhead. Historical map evidence indicates that Boyn Hill Avenue began development in the late 19th century.

The building was owned by Edward Fraser Holroyd from 1912 until 1937. By 1949 it was listed in Kelly's Directory as being occupied by the Anti-Attrition Metal Company. It was acquired by Berkshire County Council in 1950 and subsequently housed a Technical Research Institute, East Berkshire College of Further Education, and a Child Guidance Clinic. The property has remained in local authority hands, passing to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in 1997 with the abolition of the county council and establishment of unitary authorities in Berkshire.

Architect Clifton Robert Davy (1879-1929) was articled to his father, Robert Clifton Davy (died 1908), between 1898 and 1902, remaining as his father's assistant until 1905 when he established his own practice in Maidenhead in partnership with Robert until 1908, then with Frank Woods. He was responsible for numerous private houses in the Maidenhead area and Chelsea, including a Grade II listed block of flats at 5 Mulberry Walk, Chelsea (circa 1913). He also designed village halls, church schools and Temple Golf Club.