Shottesbrooke Park

Shottesbrooke Park is a country house situated within parkland, dating back to the late 16th century. The house was largely rebuilt in the late 18th century and given a Gothic appearance in the early 19th century. It was altered again in 1958 when the south-west wing was removed, and the south-west front was remodelled by Viscount Esher (Lionel Brett).

The construction is primarily brick, with some diamond patterning reflecting older work, and stucco dressings. The roof has a low pitch and is slate. Originally an H-shaped plan, it is now rectangular. The house has three storeys and attics. Features include a rendered plinth, moulded cornice, and an embattled parapet. Octagonal turrets rise above the parapet level at each corner, topped with embattlements. The cornice projects around the turrets. Sash windows with glazing bars are set within brick arches, each with a hoodmould. The east front's windows have stuccoed, eared architrave frames.

The east front has a central three-bay section with projecting wings on either side. A Gothic entrance loggia spans the entire central section, featuring three four-centred arched openings. Behind the central opening is a panelled doorcase with a broken pediment. Blind openings flank the entrance door, with painted glazing bars simulating windows. The south front consists of three bays. The west (garden) front was remodelled in a similar Gothic style.

Inside, there is 16th-century wall panelling in the bedrooms on the second floor, which was repositioned during the 18th-century rebuilding. A blocked round-headed window from the original 16th-century building is visible in the north-east corner bedroom on the second floor. The third bedroom on the second floor features a cast iron hob fireplace with hot water tanks, a marble surround. The bedroom on the south-east corner has a marble fireplace with foliage enrichment, reeded pilasters, a cornice, and a basket of flowers as the central decorative piece, with a moulded marble shelf. The first and second bedrooms on the first floor also have 18th-century wall panelling. A late 18th-century staircase has plain square newels and turned balusters, with a panelled dado. The original staircase and a fine 18th-century plastered ceiling from the former drawing room were lost when the south-west wing was removed.