Yotes Court

Yotes Court is a country house built circa 1656-58 for James Master. It is constructed of red brick with painted plaster quoins and dressings, and has a hipped roof covered in plain tiles. The house comprises a central five-bay block with three-bay wings, creating a stretched 'H' shape.

The ground floor has a wide plinth of coursed stone blocks topped by a rubbed brick course. Basement windows are set within the centre recess of the plinth. A flat band and moulded cornice with a covered soffit runs along the top of the building, punctuated by seven dormers with sliding casements. Tall brick chimney stacks are present, with two bearing the dates 1656 and 1658 and featuring sunk arched panels. The windows have raised, flat surrounds with "ears," sills, and central keystones. During alterations in the 18th century, the ground-floor windows in the centre recess were lowered. The central window on the first floor has a pediment supported by brackets. A late 18th-century addition is the central projecting, Corinthian half-columned porch, which features panelled double doors, a fanlight, and a cast-iron balcony above.

The rear elevation exhibits three gables in the central recess, and a rear fenestration that reveals the survival of original cross windows. The east elevation is three storeys and six bays high with irregular fenestration, resulting from a problem with lighting the subsidiary staircase. There are three windows on three levels in the third bay from the right. A basement door, panelled with a cut-away and glazed top pane, is situated in the third bay from the left and sheltered by a deep flat hood on brackets.

The interior includes an original square, open-well staircase with stout Ionic balusters and a heavy rail. Pair of figures are situated within putative niches on the east and west walls of the staircase, and a ceiling painting depicts an open sky with flying putti holding garlands, encased by balustrade – all dating to circa 1740, and attributed to Francis Hayman. In the Front Hall, an Adamesque plaster ceiling and chimney-piece are found, dating to circa 1765. The Front Bedroom also has an Adamesque plaster ceiling and chimney-piece from around 1765. The Dining Room retains 17th-century oak panelling, while the Victoria Room features a mid-18th-century chimney-piece. The South-East Bedroom has a Rococo papier-mâché ceiling, dating to circa 1740.

Historical records, including the Account Books of James Masters (1646-76), have been transcribed and published, and the house was featured in Country Life in 1964. Yotes Court is listed Grade I as a very early example of a country house type that became prevalent after the Restoration and for its rarity as a building of importance and quality from the Commonwealth period.