The Dower House is a Grade II listed building in the West Oxfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 29 June 1988. House.

The Dower House

WRENN ID
muted-zinc-linden
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
West Oxfordshire
Constituency
Bicester and Woodstock MP: Calum Miller (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
29 June 1988
Type
House
Address
The Dower House, Rousham
OS grid reference
SP 480 240
Coordinates
51.91334, -1.3027
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Dower House is a parsonage that has been converted into a house. It dates from the late 17th century and was remodeled with an attic storey added by William Wilkinson in 1874. The building is constructed from squared and coursed limestone, featuring ashlar quoins and dressings, and has a gabled and hipped concrete tile roof with brick end stacks. It has a double-depth plan, standing two storeys high with an attic and a three-window range.

The central studded door is framed by plain ashlar architraves, with a tripartite sash window with glazing bars to the right and 6-pane sashes. The right side features a half-hipped gable, while the left has a dormer with a late 19th-century plate-glass sash to the left and a 6-pane sash to the right. To the left, there is a two-storey service range designed in a similar style. The right gable end includes an 18th-century doorway with a plain keyed architrave.

Inside, the central hall contains a late 17th-century dog-leg staircase with a landing, which was renewed in the 1860s. This staircase features turned balusters on a closed string and is accompanied by mid-19th-century panelled doors.

Local climate

The Dower House sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 740 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 69% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 37 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 66% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  5. 8 and 9, Rousham Grade II 135 m
  6. Number 1 and 2 Garden Cottages and Attached Outbuilding Grade II 138 m
  7. Garden Seat Next to River Cherwell, and Garden Walls, Doorways and Gateway to East of Rousham Park Grade II* 146 m
  8. Boat House Grade II* 169 m
  9. 11 and 12, Rousham Grade II 185 m
  10. 13, Rousham Grade II 196 m