Ashburnham Place (Christian Conference And Prayer Centre)

Ashburnham Place, now a Christian Conference and Prayer Centre, features a facade dating from around 1845. It is constructed of red brick with a diaper pattern of grey headers. There is a cornice above each floor and a parapet. The glazing bars are intact. The central section is two storeys high with five windows, each window bay flanked by pilasters. The ground floor windows are set in round-headed arcading, and there is a large central square porch with a round-headed archway. The wings of the building are one storey high, with the first two window bays on each side of the center recessed and three window bays projecting beyond. Modern conference wings have been added to the north. The Ashburnham family occupied a house on this site from before the Conquest until the death of Lady Catherine Ashburnham in 1953. The original mansion, which had elements from several periods, was primarily 18th century and was refaced in around 1845. Most of the mansion was demolished around 1955, leaving the south front, which retains its original form with a central block and lower flanking wings, although both the center and wings have been reduced in height.