Caple ne Ferne

Caple ne Ferne is a substantial house built in 1879, graded as of special architectural interest, with a later extension added in 1926.

The original 1879 house is constructed in red brick with painted stone dressings. The upper floors and gabled entrance bay feature applied timber framing. Tile hanging appears on the gables and side elevations, with tile roofs throughout. The 1926 wing is built in darker red and purple brick with flush stone dressings.

The plan is asymmetrical but organized around a two-storey baronial inner hall, with rooms opening from it. The original house has two storeys with a prominent tower and small cellar. The service quarters to the north-east were substantially altered in 1926 to accommodate a large two-storey and two-and-a-half-storey extension set at right angles to the original building.

The asymmetrical north-facing entrance front is dominated by a two-and-a-half-storey gabled bay with a moulded stone entrance arch flanked by a three-light mullion window. The jettied upper floors are timber-framed with timber sashes, the upper sashes in each case small-paned, and first-floor windows arranged horizontally above central blind panels. To the left stands a large four-over-three pane window in a moulded stone surround above a triple-light ground-floor window. Behind the entrance bay sits a four-stage tower in brick with flush stone banding, except for a timber-framed upper stage topped by a steep hipped tile roof that projects over the tower and its west-facing balcony. Set back at an angle between the two ranges is a single bay that originally housed the back stair, projecting at upper-floor level above a side entrance to the service quarters set back behind an outer arch. Prominent flush stone bands frame small single-light windows in a style reminiscent of late medieval stair bays. The roof and dormer of this section, rising to three storeys, are canted, visually taking the building through the change in direction.

The west-facing elevation is dominated by the tower, which has a tall shallow two-light oriel window at first-floor level with a steeply-pitched tiled canopy rising above storey level and supporting the octagonal base for a figure. Above and below are narrow paired lights, the ground-floor lights surmounted by a monogram of Tubbs' initials. To the right is a two-storey canted bay beneath a canted tiled roof, flanked by a prominent external stack enriched with vertical ribbed panels. Most windows on the principal facades have chamfered and ovolo-moulded stone mullions and transoms in flush stone surrounds. Sashes sit in moulded timber architraves fitted internally that rise and fall independently of the stone structure. Transom lights contain coloured glass. Side and rear elevations have timber sashes, some with leaded lights, in brick reveals. Deep eaves feature shaped rafter feet.

The south-facing elevation has forward gabled bays with applied framing to the gables. The right-hand gable is more ornate, with a moulded cornice supported on robust moulded feet. Windows here too have timber sashes set behind stone mullion and transom windows in flush stone surrounds. The drawing room and central room (former boudoir) have central part-glazed doors that are now internal but originally opened onto a terraced garden. The doors have four centre arched architraves flanked by glazed margin lights and transom lights with coloured glass. A single-storey conservatory was added in the twentieth century but is not of special interest. The return gable elevation is dominated by a large offset external stack with strongly expressed vertical ribbed panels rising through the eaves and ridge, supported by small gablets where it emerges through the ridge. The gable to its rear is treated similarly but more simply. The side elevation is tile-hung at first-floor level and within the gables flanking the stacks.

The 1926 range echoes the character of the earlier building. The three-storey gabled bay to the left has three-light mullion and transom windows with leaded lights; the upper gabled floor, which has light applied framing, has small-paned two-light sashes set forward between tall corner turrets. A plaster crest dated 1927 sits on the gable. The porch, offset to the right, has an arched entrance beneath a shaped parapet. The two-storey range to the right has similar mullion and transom windows and half-hipped two-light full dormers. Similar dormers appear on the south elevation of the gabled wing. The north and east elevations are treated in a similar but less ornate manner.

Internally, the 1879 house is richly fitted with pine dado panelling and other joinery. The entrance, set back under a porch with a polychrome tile floor, has a door with studded moulded muntins and ornate strap hinges, knocker and door knob. It leads to a vestibule with a glazed screen and inner door fitted with coloured leaded glass. The hall (room 1), rising through two storeys, contains an open-well closed-string stair with a landing overlooking the open well. Both stair and landing have balustrades with robust turned newels featuring ball and drop finials and turned balusters. The stair soffit and landing are panelled. The fireplace has painted panels probably in oil on wood in a late medieval or Tudor manner, depicting garden scenes and the progress on horseback of a lady and her retinue. The upper-floor arcaded landing, executed in Jacobean revival manner, supports a panelled ceiling with moulded ribs. Richly panelled pine doors throughout the house are set in deep moulded architraves with panelled linings, have a prominent facetted central panel, and in many cases retain original door furniture.

The library (Major Tubbs' room, room 2) features an inglenook fitted in oak dado panelling with a matching fireplace dated 1880, cupboards and built-in seating. The fireplace surround is lined with twelve coloured tiles depicting The House that Jack Built, illustrated by Randolph Caldecott. The inglenook dado is lined with tiles in pink on a cream background depicting the same story, also illustrated by Caldecott. The dado panelling, bressumer and panelled ceiling are in pine with moulded ribs.

The drawing room (room 5) has a panelled dado and ceiling with deep moulded ribs. The bay window with panelled linings is set behind an arcaded screen with chamfered facetted shafts in Jacobean manner and fitted seating with a panelled base. As elsewhere on the ground floor, a moulded panelled pine chimneypiece has pale green tiled slips. Double doors in similar but not identical architraves give onto a small boudoir (room 4) which is similarly treated.

The dining room (room 3) has a bay window with panelled linings and architrave. The dado includes built-in cupboards and a chamfered ribbed ceiling. The fireplace is in a moulded surround with green tile slips. A window contains coloured glass depicting a vase of roses set in geometric patterned margin glazing. The back stair has square balusters set diagonally.

First-floor rooms have timber chimneypieces, some with tiled panels depicting scenes from Shakespearean plays, almost certainly by John Moyr Smith for Minton. Most are in brown, though an unusual series appears in light red colour. One set features geometric patterned tiles, possibly produced by Wedgwood.

The 1926 wing is similarly but less lavishly treated, with panelled pine dados and moulded skirtings, moulded architraves and panelled doors. The open-well closed-string main stair is in oak and pine with robust chamfered newels, turned balusters and matching dado. Rear windows sit in deep reveals lined in flush timber. An oak fireplace surround has green and blue glazed tile slips.