Cornwell Manor

Cornwell Manor is a substantial manor house of circa 1750, which incorporates the core of an earlier 16th and 17th century house. The building underwent later additions and alterations, most notably the addition of a ballroom around 1939 designed by Clough Williams Ellis for Mrs. Anthony Gillson.

The main structure is constructed of regularly coursed and dressed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, topped with a hipped stone slate roof with coped parapet. The building follows a double-depth plan with a projection at right-angles to the rear on the east side. It comprises 2 storeys and an attic, with a chamfered plinth, floor band, dipping first-floor cill band, and plain eaves cornice.

The south front is arranged in 2:3:2 bays, with the centre section forming a slightly projecting pedimented break featuring a keyed oeil de boeuf to the pediment and lead downpipes in the angles. Glazing bar sashes sit in plain moulded surrounds. The central entrance has a 6-panel door with a decorative semi-circular fanlight set within a pedimented Doric doorcase with triglyph frieze. Pedimented dormers punctuate the bottom of the roof slope to left and right.

The east front is dominated by a prominent full-height ashlar-faced canted bay with a pyramidal roof at its centre. This bay features floor bands, a dipping first-floor cill band, and 3 glazing bar sashes to each floor, with the ground-floor centre cut down to form a French casement. To either side are 2 glazing bar sashes in plain moulded surrounds per floor, the inner sashes narrow and 8-paned with thick glazing bars, and the outer right sash on the first floor 15-paned. Segmental arches rise over the outer windows on the ground floor, with lead downpipes in the angles of the canted bay. Five dormers punctuate the bottom of the roof slope—2 to the left and 3 to the right of the canted bay. All are pedimented except for a hip-roofed dormer immediately to the right of the canted bay. A ridge stack to the left features dripstones and moulded capping to paired and rebated shafts; a similar integral stack rises at the right gable end, which has coped verges.

The west front of the main range features a full-height semi-circular staircase projection with a conical roof, to which an Oxfordshire Fire Insurance plate (number 40963) is affixed.

The north side appears to date from the 17th century or earlier. It is fenestrated with thick glazing bar sashes on each floor; those on the first floor sit in moulded surrounds with labels from earlier mullioned and transomed windows. A Venetian window lights the staircase to the left, with a straight joint visible and various infilled openings to the right. The rear of the projecting east side has similar windows on its first floor to those of the north side, and a 2-light ogee-moulded mullion window to the left on the ground floor.

An early 17th century service range forms an L-shape around a courtyard to the north of the main range. This range comprises 1 storey and an attic. The north range (courtyard side) features filleted ogee-moulded and chamfered mullion windows with leaded lights, and one small lancet to the right. Three prominent gabled half-dormers with leaded cross casements are positioned along this elevation. Ridge stacks and an end stack to the right, all with rebuilt shafts, crown the range.

The west range (west side) features a prominent gabled projection to the centre, which contains a 3-light mullion window with dripstone on the first floor and a later lean-to below. A 4-light ogee-moulded mullion window with dripstone occupies the ground floor to the left, with a pedimented eaves dormer directly above. Two pedimented half-dormers sit to the right of the gable, the left one containing a cross casement. A 6-panel door with upper panels now glazed is positioned with adjoining casements to the left and right. Ridge stacks flank the gable, and an end stack to the left crowns the range; all shafts have been rebuilt.

A small 20th century outbuilding, probably by Clough Williams Ellis, stands to the rear on the right and links the service range with the main range. The north range of the service block is linked to the ballroom by a flat-roofed connecting range with a balustraded parapet. This connecting range is roughcast and buttressed in 4 bays, with full-height 40-paned glazing bar sashes to the inner bays and a glazed neo-Georgian door to the right. A rendered full-height canted bay with tall glazing bar sashes projects to the south gable end, though a bridge formerly linking it to the service range has now been removed. A stepped external end stack rises at the north gable end.

The interior contains significant features across its rooms. The entrance hall was remodelled in 1939 and features rusticated doorways to the left and right in the back wall flanking an 18th century stone fireplace bearing the Penyston family coat-of-arms. Triple rusticated arches rise along the side walls, all blind except for the centre on the right, which contains a panelled door leading to the drawing room. The floor is of stone flags, and a plain moulded stone cornice runs throughout.

The room behind the entrance hall to the left features rectangular panelling of circa 1640 (restored in the 20th century) painted to imitate walnut, which is said to have been moved from elsewhere within the house.

The staircase hall has a stone-flag floor and an 18th century open-well staircase with a carved open string and slender turned balusters with decorated bottoms, arranged 2 to each tread. The handrail is wreathed and ramped with circular newels and a plain ramped dado. A square space above, probably formerly with a lantern, features a 20th century plaster cornice with egg and dart moulding.

The front right ground-floor room (drawing room) is finished with plain moulded bevelled panelling and features an Adam-style fireplace with Greek-key ornament on the back wall. Two mirrors with Rococo plasterwork frames adorn the front wall, with similar overthrows to the windows.

The rear right ground-floor room (formerly the library) once contained panelling of circa 1640 carved with geometric patterns and painted with urns of flowers, but this has since been removed.

The principal first-floor rooms feature plaster cornices and elaborate 19th century fireplace surrounds, with panelled doors throughout. A wood spiral staircase in the semi-circular projection rises to the attic, which features a moulded stone fireplace with a 4-centred arch.

The cellar contains square columns with plain imposts, probably dating to the 17th century, supporting a barrel vault.

The north range of the service block features encased cross beams and chamfered spine beams to the ground floor. The principal rafters of the room structure are visible to the attic, which contains a staircase with carved splat balusters at the west range.

The ballroom features an enriched coved plaster ceiling and cornice with leaf decoration. Rusticated surrounds frame doors, including 2 at the south end beneath a projecting semi-circular balcony with decorative turned balusters. Plaster garlands hang below roundels on the side walls, and a wood fireplace surround at the north end is carved with male heads to either side.

A terrace and steps by Clough Williams Ellis to the south of the main front are not included in this listing.