Calleva House

This is an early 18th-century house, now a shop, located on the south side of Wallingford High Street. It is of double-depth plan and built in a Baroque style. The front of the house has a red brick plinth and is constructed of grey brick with red brick dressings, topped with an old plain-tile roof and brick stacks. It is five windows wide and three stories high. A flight of steps leads to a central doorway with an eight-panel door, partly glazed, flanked by painted fluted Doric pilasters supporting a frieze with triglyphs and floral metopes, culminating in a segmental pediment with a recessed centre. Rubbed brick piers are positioned to the left and right of the centre, and at each end. Segmental-topped windows are present to the left and right, originally fitted with 24-pane sashes, the lower sash designed to drop into the plinth. A painted moulded brick band runs between the ground and first floors. Rubbed brick Doric giant order pilasters are featured on the first and second floors, both to the left and right of the centre, and at the ends. The first floor has 24-pane segmental-topped windows with thick glazing bars, half-H aprons with guttae, and segmental brick heads with projecting brick voussoirs. A shaped brick band separates the first and second floors. The second floor also has 24-pane segmental-topped windows, similarly detailed, but with shaped brick keystones. A dentilled brick cornice is topped by a 20th-century brick parapet. The rear of the building has sashes to most openings, including a 24-pane round-topped sash to the staircase window.

Inside, there's an open-well staircase with landings in the centre towards the rear. The balustrade features fluted and barley-sugar balusters, Corinthian fluted columns at the corners, and a shaped handrail. The front rooms on the ground floor feature fielded panelling with Corinthian pilasters up to the dado, and a shaped top. The reveal of the staircase window is arched and pilastered. Fielded panelling is present on the ground and first floors to the front rooms. Early 18th-century plain stone fireplace surrounds are in the ground and first floor front rooms. Panelling can be found on the first floor rear right and a wall of panelling on the first floor rear left. Early 18th-century plain wood fireplace surrounds are in the first floor rear rooms. A decorative plaster ceiling on the ground floor right includes an oval-decorated band and a central rose. The house is said to have been built for William Hucks M.P., who died in 1734.