Danehurst

Danehurst is a mid-sized country house built around 1828 to designs by Thomas Frederick Hunt (1790-1831). It was extended in the late 19th or early 20th century and again in the later 20th century.

The building is constructed of sandstone and reconstituted stone with stone and reconstituted dressings under a clay tile roof.

The building comprises four main phases. The first is the original three-storey house, which faces south with an entrance on the east side. A porch leads to a hallway containing the main stairs. A corridor runs east to west, with the principal reception rooms on the south side. The rear north wall is now absorbed into later structures. Running north from the hallway is a small two-storey wing, probably the former kitchen, which later served as a convent during the later 20th century. The first floor of the original house also has an east-west corridor with bedrooms to the south. The second floor contains attic bedrooms accessed by subsidiary stairs at the east end.

The second phase is a late-19th or early-20th century three-storey extension on the north-western side of the original house. It features a polygonal stair tower, an irregular plan of service rooms on the ground floor, and bedrooms on the first floor.

The third phase is a large three-storey late-20th century T-shaped block built to the north when Danehurst was converted to a nursing home. It has an irregular plan of bedrooms and sitting rooms and interconnects with both the original house and the earlier extension.

The final phase consists of a single-storey circular chapel standing to the north-east of the house, connected to the late-20th century extension by a corridor. These third and final phases do not contribute to the special interest of Danehurst.

The original house is designed in the Tudor Revival style. Its two visible elevations are constructed of sandstone under a clay tile pitched roof, surmounted by tall grouped octagonal chimney stacks, most of which are glass-fibre replacements. The principal south elevation stands above a raised terrace and has four bays, all characterised by predominantly tripartite Gothic-type windows with mullions and a continuous drip mould. The three bays at the east end are gabled and finished with stone coping, with the central example having a castellated oriel window. The bay at the western end is formed of a castellated polygonal two-storey bay window. The first and second floor windows are multi-paned, while those on the ground floor have large panes of plate glass. Those in the gabled bays have been altered or replaced to accommodate late-20th century patio doors. At the far western end is a single-storey pitch-roofed 20th century extension characterised by reconstituted stone and tall multi-paned windows.

The east elevation of the original house is of similar design, with two full-sized gabled bays at the south end and three smaller gables at the north end. The southernmost bay has a tall castellated square single-storey bay window. The central bay has a gabled porch with a Gothic-arched stone architrave and breather window above. The timber entrance door is formed of vertical planks with ornate strapwork hinges and door furniture. The side elevations of the porch project towards the top, supported by a row of modillions. Above the porch, the main gable has a stone-carved coat of arms and is surmounted by a stone pinnacle. Both main gables have irregular Gothic-type multi-paned or diamond light windows. The three smaller gables at the northern end have pierced bargeboards and multi-paned windows in Gothic-type stone architraves. On the first floor, the stonework has an inset segmental arch and a window at the top of the gable. A later roof has been added running north to south, effectively filling in the roof space between the smaller gables, with added late-20th century dormer windows.

The west elevation is formed of the late-19th or early-20th century extension at the south end and the long elevations of the late-20th century care home extending further to the north. The earlier extension is more Edwardian in character, constructed of a combination of rusticated and flat-faced ashlar with irregular casement or sash multi-paned windows. It has a polygonal stair tower with pepper-pot roof, and the gabled dormers have applied timber framing. The 1980s nursing home extension does not add to the special interest of Danehurst. It is constructed of stone and reconstituted stone dressings fashioned to imitate the character of the earlier extension. The fenestration is regular with square multi-paned timber windows and a continuous stone plat band. The steeply pitched roof has regular gabled dormers with simplified applied timber framing. The north and east elevations are similar in form.

The late-20th century chapel does not add to the special interest of Danehurst. It is polygonal in plan, constructed of stone with regular square multi-paned timber windows. It has a conical-type roof surrounded by simplified Gothic-type dormer windows forming a clerestory. The main roof is surmounted by a smaller pepper-pot roof which stands on a strip of stained-glass windows and is topped by a simple cross.

The main door from the porch is Gothic in character and a 20th century replacement. The hallway floor is formed of stone slabs and the hall is square in plan. It contains the principal open-well timber staircase which has a curtail step, straight handrail, splat balusters, and square-cut or chamfered newel posts with pendants. The hallway, stairwell, and landing are half-panelled and appear to have been updated in the later 19th or early 20th century. The cornice above the stairs is decorated with a continuous rose-head moulding and the ceiling is panelled. On the landing are three Gothic-arched stained-glass windows, the central example of which carries a family crest.

To the left-hand side of the hallway is a Gothic-arched architrave with carved spandrels and a late-20th century fire door leading to the main corridor, which also has a rose-headed moulding and panelled ceiling. The timber door architraves and panelled doors are unpainted and Classical in style and proportion. On the north side of the corridor is a former external bay window with diamond leaded lights and stained glass dated 1878.

There are three reception rooms south of the corridor, all of which have hardwood floors and panelled window shutters. The room at the east end has quarter-height panelling probably dating from the early 20th century, as does the fireplace insert formed of stacked tiles. The surround is carved in unpainted oak and supported on Classically-styled columns. The tall overmantel has been created from a number of reclaimed panels and pieces of carved decoration. The middle reception room is similar in character but has plainer panelling and a rose-headed cornice.

The largest reception room is located at the west end and is divided by a set of 20th century folding doors. It has early-19th century quarter-height panelling, architraves, and panelled timber doors, one of which has a flat-arched pediment. The fireplace surround is carved in unpainted oak and supported on Classically-styled columns. It has a stone insert with Gothic arch and carved spandrels, and the fire basket is late-20th century. The ceiling is coffered in dark timber on the west side and plain with a rose-headed cornice on the east side.

To the north of the hall, the former kitchen, later a convent, has two ground-floor reception rooms with a dado rail but otherwise plain and functional. This is also the case for the bedrooms above. The first floor of the original house has a similar plan to the ground floor, with bedrooms located south of the corridor. They are plain and functional with some subdivision.

The interior of the late-19th or early-20th century extension to the north of the original house is plain and functional, and the plan has been altered to accommodate a large kitchen and conversion to a nursing home.

The large late-20th century extension is laid out as ensuite bedrooms and communal lounges, which are also plain and functional.

The interior of the chapel to the north-east of the house is primarily a single open space, apart from a self-contained flat-roofed vestry with a concave face creating a small sanctuary. The front face of the vestry has a classically-inspired cornice and timber doors with Gothic decoration. The Stations of the Cross are attached to the chapel walls. The main ceiling is timber-boarded between black-painted supporting beams. The timber pews are unfitted and stand on a timber floor.