Embley House

Embley House is a medium-sized country house, now used as a school. The core of the building dates back to the 16th century, with significant remodelling in the 18th century and later alterations and enlargements in the 19th century by W E Nightingale, and again in 1895 for Archibald Coates. The house is constructed of brick from different periods, with stone dressings, and has old plain tile roofs.

The building has a complex plan. The main facade is a single pile of three storeys and four bays, with a three-bay, three-storey and attic block attached, forming a double pile. An early 20th-century wing extends along one side, and a low, one-and-a-half-storey service range is attached to the other. A late 19th-century service range with three gabled bays sits to the rear of the service wing and an early 19th-century kitchen is situated beyond that.

The entrance front features a gabled, one-bay wide wing at the right end, which runs the length of the end of the building. Adjacent to this is a three-bay double-pile block with Dutch gables, and a late 19th-century ‘Jacobean’ porch in front of the right bay. A mid-20th-century single-storey projection matching the style is positioned in front of the other bays. A 20th-century kitchen fronts the next bay, extending back to the single-pile range. Further along are a double-gabled bay of the service range and a 20th-century infill before the early 19th-century kitchen. Windows are stone mullioned throughout. The main block has a hipped roof behind the gables, and stacks are visible behind the roofline.

The garden front incorporates four gabled bays of three storeys and attic, plus an added left-hand bay of two tall storeys and attic in gable, and a low service range to the right. Small gables containing attic windows rise above the parapet of each main bay. The later left-hand bay and right-hand bay extend this arrangement in full-height rectangular bays. A three-storey canted bay with an open-work stone parapet is centrally located, flanked by double doors with windows to each side. Stone mullioned windows are present, with particularly tall, transomed windows in the left-hand bay. The right-hand and centre gables have Dutch detailing, while those to either side of the centre are shouldered. The hipped roof is divided by a wall between the end bays. Large stacks are positioned behind the ridge to the centre and centre-left bays, with a ridge stack on the wall to the right and an end stack on the right-hand side.

The interior, largely dating from the early 19th century, has been heavily altered in the late 19th century. A small domed room in the middle features classical figures in relief plasterwork. An early 19th-century library is located on the garden front, and a room on the first floor was used by Florence Nightingale. The house was bought and remodelled by her father, and she grew up there, later leaving to begin her career. It remained her family home until 1895.