Culham Manor

Manor house, dating from the 15th century, with a north front rebuilt around 1610 and restored and altered in the mid-20th century. The construction is primarily roughcast on stone rubble, with stone dressings, and has an old plain-tile roof. A brick ridge stack sits to the left of the centre, while a stone end stack is on the left, and a brick ridge stack serves the rear cross-wing. The building follows an L-shaped plan, potentially originating as a hall-house with a cross wing, remodeled to an E-plan front and later truncated.

The main front is two storeys high with a three-window range in the central bay, flanked by projecting cross-gabled wings. A C17 plank door is set within a recessed porch on the left and is framed by a Jacobean stone archway featuring a decorative frieze. To either side of the entrance are a two-light stone mullion window and a four-light stone mullion window, both with hood moulds and leaded lights. The first floor also has four-light stone mullion and transom windows with hood moulds and leaded lights. The cross-gables on the left and right sides are coped and topped with obelisk finials.

The return to the right reveals uncoursed stone rubble on the ground floor. The first floor shows large timber framing with angle braces and rendered infill. It is two storeys high and features a seven-window range, with a plank door positioned to the left of the centre and a largely irregular arrangement of mostly C20 wood mullioned windows with leaded lights.

The rear of the building displays uncoursed stone rubble on the ground floor of the cross-wing and the rear of the main block, with large timber framing, angle braces, and a cross-gable at the right of the main block. Again, the fenestration is irregular, consisting mainly of C20 wood mullioned windows with leaded lights.

Inside, the cross-wing contains a straight flight staircase with solid wood steps. A C18 straight flight staircase, previously located in a house in Worcester, was incorporated into the main block. The cross-wing’s roof includes a king post with windbraces, and a bedroom within the cross-wing retains C16 linen-fold panelling. A large, massive, stone three-centre arched fireplace is found on the ground floor of the cross-wing. Many other internal features, including fireplaces, panelling, plasterwork, and a significant collection of Flemish stained glass, were likely introduced during the mid-C20 restoration by Sir Esmond Ovey.

The house was originally the medieval grange of the Abbots of Abingdon and was refronted around 1610 by Thomas Bury.