Cornbury House

Cornbury House is a large country house of exceptional historical importance, representing work by some of the most significant architects and craftsmen of the 17th century. The building dates from the late 16th century and was substantially enlarged in 1632–33 by the celebrated mason Nicholas Stone for Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby. It was further altered and extended between 1663 and 1677 by Hugh May, Comptroller of the King's Works, for Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. Major alterations and additions were made around 1850, though most of these were removed during restoration works carried out by the architect John Belcher for Vernon Watney between 1901 and 1906. The majority of Belcher's additions were in turn demolished around 1972.

The construction materials reflect the building's complex history: the 16th-century work is of coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, while the 17th-century and later fabric is of limestone ashlar throughout. The roofs are covered with stone slates, hipped over the south-east range, chapel, and north-east range.

Plan and Layout

The house is arranged around an irregular rectangular courtyard, now partly open to the north-east. The 16th-century ranges stand to the north-east and north-west (the latter known as the Leicester Wing). The south-west range, built by Nicholas Stone in 1632–33, has a later 17th-century chapel (possibly designed by Hugh May) projecting to the rear. The south-east elevation forms the Clarendon Wing, designed by Hugh May and built between 1663 and 1668. The courtyard was formerly enclosed by Belcher's hall, vestibule, and porch, but these have been mostly demolished and the hall much reduced. Belcher's work was executed in a free Queen Anne Revival style. The building is mostly of two storeys with attics, though some parts of the 16th-century ranges are of two storeys only.

The Clarendon Wing (South-East Front)

The Clarendon Wing presents a sophisticated classical composition with a plinth, frieze, and carved stone modillion cornice beneath a blocking course. The central three bays break forward and are articulated with an unfluted giant Corinthian order of pilasters supporting an entablature and triangular pediment. The inscription to the frieze reads "DEVS.NOBIS.HAEC.OTIA.FECIT" ("God has given us this peace"). The roofline has six flat-topped dormers fitted with glazing bar sashes, and four irregularly placed chimney stacks.

The fenestration is arranged in a rhythm of 4:3:4 bays. The windows are glazing bar sashes, each with a moulded sill and moulded architrave; those on the first floor additionally have pulvinated friezes and moulded cornices. At the centre of the ground floor is a pair of small-paned glazed doors, similarly detailed with moulded architrave, pulvinated frieze, and moulded cornice.

The right-hand return elevation has two bays with a central round-arched niche on each floor. The north-west return of three bays features continuous sill string courses, central blind windows with moulded architraves (that on the first floor having a frieze and moulded cornice), and flanking round-arched niches.

The South-West (Danby) Range

This range was built in 1633 by Nicholas Stone. The first-floor fenestration and roofline were subsequently altered by Hugh May around 1663–77. It has a moulded plinth, platband, moulded cornice, and parapet with coping. Three flat-roofed dormers contain two-light casements, and there are various irregularly spaced ashlar chimney stacks.

The elevation is arranged as 1:3:1:3 bays, all fitted with glazing bar sashes. The ground-floor windows have moulded architraves and triple keystones. The first-floor windows, altered around 1664–77, each have moulded architraves, pulvinated friezes, and moulded cornices; the central window is additionally distinguished by a shouldered architrave and consoles supporting a triangular pediment.

The central porch has a plinth, impost band, and platband continued around the structure as a string course, beneath a balustraded parapet with moulded coping. The round-arched entrance has a pair of three-panelled doors with a fanlight and keystone, flanked by pilaster strips with round-arched niches.

A short left-hand bay, dating from 1632–33 and probably originally matched by a similar bay at the right-hand end, contains a blind or blocked first-floor window with moulded architrave, a blind or blocked oval mezzanine window, and a two-panelled door with moulded architrave. Above the door is a glazed oeil-de-boeuf with moulded architrave.

The Leicester Wing and Earlier Ranges

The 16th-century Leicester Wing projects to the left of the south-west range. It has coped parapeted gables and stone chimney stacks. The fenestration includes a first-floor stone cross window to the right with a hood mould, a two-light first-floor window to the left, and a ground-floor four-light mullioned stone window to the right, also with a hood mould. The right-hand return elevation has a first-floor three-light mullioned and transomed stone window with hood mould.

The north-west and north-east ranges retain mullioned stone windows throughout.

The Chapel

The chapel was completed after 1677. It has a moulded plinth, frieze, and carved stone modillion eaves cornice. The side elevations are of three bays each. The side windows are staff-moulded round-arched openings with moulded sills and diamond-leaded wooden cross windows. The (liturgical) east end has three staff-moulded blind windows with moulded sills—the central window is rectangular and the outer ones round-arched with blind panels beneath.

Interiors

The interiors of the main house were much altered around 1850, during Belcher's works of 1901–06, and again around 1970. However, some late 16th-century or early 17th-century work survives in the Leicester Wing. The south-west bedroom retains panelling with lozenge ornament in the frieze and a dentil cornice, and a fireplace with lugged stone architrave and moulded cornice. There is also a remodelled 17th-century staircase with closed string, drop balusters, and moulded handrail.

The Danby range has been much altered, including the horizontal division of the formerly full-height hall to the right of the entrance. The hall retains a huge canopied stone fireplace, probably by Nicholas Stone, with scrolled brackets supporting a moulded frieze, moulded cornice, and hood. It now also has a compartmented ceiling, a niche at the right-hand end, and six-panelled doors with lugged architraves and pulvinated friezes.

The Dining Room, to the left of the entrance, has fluted Doric columns at each end (one pair probably 18th century, the other dating from around 1901) and a late 18th-century fireplace with Ionic columns (probably introduced during alterations, as an old photograph is said to show a 17th-century fireplace in this position). Two bedrooms, not inspected at the time of resurvey in April 1987, are recorded as having ceilings dating from around 1633, divided into compartments by moulded ribs.

The Clarendon Wing interiors were altered around 1850 and during 1901–06 but retain a remodelled late 17th-century staircase with moulded closed string, drop balusters, moulded handrail, and square newel posts with globe finials and turned pendants. The Drawing Room to the south-west has a late 18th-century marble fireplace with Ionic half-columns. The Library to the south-west at the rear was created by Belcher and incorporates bookcases with carved drops, an enriched plaster ceiling, and a bolection-moulded marble fireplace with an overmantel consisting of a niche, broken segmental pediment, and carved drops to the sides.

Little of Belcher's galleried hall survives except for a huge marble fireplace (now relocated to a cloakroom) with Ionic columns supporting an entablature. There is also a 20th-century three-flight square-well principal staircase, possibly by Belcher or of a later date.

The Chapel Interior

The interior of the chapel preserves a complete and rich set of late 17th-century fixtures and fittings. The enriched plaster ceiling has coving, a central oval decorated with a wreath of palm fronds and other foliage, and end panels with further foliage ornament.

The oak fittings include a reredos with paired fluted Corinthian pilasters and entablature with cornice, flanked by panels carved with festoons and drops, above which stand urns with festoons descending to a central shield. Altar rails have drop balusters. Oak panelling lines the walls. The pews, carved with drops, face each other across the chapel.

At the liturgical west end is a three-bay screen and gallery with unfluted Corinthian columns, carved wooden gates, and an entablature with carved frieze and panelled front above. At the rear of the gallery is a central six-panelled door with lugged moulded architrave, pulvinated frieze, and moulded cornice, flanked by glazing bar sashes. A central brass chandelier hangs in the chapel. A pair of three-panelled west doors leads to a semi-circular vestibule.

Historical Context

The house contained, as of April 1987, a series of old photographs showing the building in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the porte-cochère and tower added to the south-east front around 1850 and removed by Belcher.

Cornbury was originally a hunting lodge in the Royal Forest of Wychwood, and a house is known to have existed on the site by 1537. The rangership of Cornbury Park was granted to prominent and deserving courtiers, which accounts for the employment of Nicholas Stone and Hugh May, both members of the Office of Works during their respective periods. Stone's wing of 1632–33 was one of the earliest classical country house fronts in England.

Although the Forest of Wychwood is much reduced from its former extent, Cornbury House still stands within an extensive wooded deer park, with lakes and further woodland beyond.