Ibthorpe House

Ibthorpe House is a large house dating from the mid-18th century, associated with the author Jane Austen. The building is constructed of brick and tile and features a symmetrical front with two storeys and an attic, comprising five windows, along with a lower wing at the back on the west side. It has a steep hipped roof with a moulded and dentilled eaves cornice, and three dormers with cambered leaded heads and casements. The walls are built in Flemish bond with blue headers, red flush quotas, and rubbed flat arches, along with a moulded first-floor band and a high plinth that steps below the windows. The windows are sashes set in reveals. The entrance features a doorway with a moulded canopy on carved brackets, a panel above a plain architrave, and double doors that are accessed by two steps. The west wing has two storeys and one window, with brick dentil eaves and casements, and there are large stacks at each end with moulded bases. The rear elevation includes one hipped dormer and irregular fenestration, with colourwashed brickwork and sashes. Additionally, there is a small service block at the north-east corner, which has a hipped slate roof and flint walls with brick dressings. Jane Austen attended the wedding of her sister Mary to Mr. Lloyd, the owner, at this house and was a frequent visitor thereafter.