Melchet Court St Edwards School

Melchet Court, part of St Edwards School, is a country house built in 1863. It was damaged by fire in 1873 and rebuilt between 1875 and 1879 by H Clutton, with further remodelling occurring between 1912 and 1914 by D Braddell. Early interior work was carried out by A Stevens and L W Collmann. The house is constructed of brick with stone dressings and has plain tile roofs. Clutton’s design is Jacobean in style, while Braddell’s work represents an Edwardian interpretation of the same style.

The entrance front is symmetrical, featuring end and central Dutch gables. A projecting two-storey porch is centrally positioned, with an early 20th-century stone Jacobean doorway, a cartouche above, four stone steps below, a four-light mullioned window above, and a low parapet. The end bays have large two-storey bows, each containing a four-light mullion and transomed window. The bays between these end features have a four-light mullioned window, with a smaller three-light window positioned above. Three-light mullioned windows are also found in the gables. The garden front is similar in design, with a rectangular two-storey bow in the centre and canted bays at each end, topped with a balustraded parapet. Chimneys with triple moulded brick stacks are located at both ends and centrally on the garden front.

A service range, remodelled in the early 20th century and featuring a sunken garden, abuts the house at one end on the garden front. The gable of the house and service range, together with a round tower on their junction, are remnants of the 1863 High Victorian Gothic structure. At the opposite end of the entrance front is a 19th and 20th-century five-bay orangery with brick pilasters and a cornice, incorporating stone arches. An aedicule of rubbed brick and terracotta is positioned under the central arch.

Inside, the hall behind the porch retains Stevens’ ceiling and a grey marble fireplace, with early 20th-century door cases and panelling. A staircase to the left is said to be Stevens’ work, although its design is more English Baroque, and features a Stevens’ ceiling with an Italian Renaissance style, originally based on designs held at the V&A, utilising coffered and painted detailing. A chapel on the right side of the house features a ceiling with a more Jacobean style, potentially by Stevens and moved from the original dining room, which is now behind the staircase. The remaining interior dates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the exception of a study within the service range, partly located in the tower and featuring Jacobean plasterwork by Collmann.