Terrace With Retaining Wall And Steps Garden Wall And Summerhouse Adjoining Cornbury House To East

CORNBURY AND WYCHWOOD CORNBURY PARK SP31NW, SP3518 5/17, 13/17 Terrace with retaining wall and steps, garden wall, and summerhouse adjoining Cornbury House to E

GV II

Terrace with retaining wall and steps, garden wall and summerhouse. Terrace of c.1850. Limestone ashlar retaining wall with moulded plinth, dies and moulded coping. Approximately 170 metres long. Two-flight stone steps on the central axis of the south-east front of Cornbury House (q.v.), consisting of pairs of square gate piers with moulded plinths, moulded caps, and large carved urns, and 2 pairs of wrought-iron gates with spearhead railings. Panelled wall to centre. Summerhouse at north-east end of terrace. Probably c.1901-6, by John Belcher. At centre of former semi-circular pergola, now mostly demolished. Lattice wooden construction on brick plinth with limestone ashlar wall to rear and lead dome. Three-bay portico consisting of lattice wooden Ionic columns with swags between volutes, lattice frieze with Greek-key ornament, triglyphs and scrolled key to centre, moulded wooden cornice with mutules, and lattice parapet. Lattice screen and archway between pilasters to rear of portico. Domed interior with panelled wooden seat to rear. Flanking low curved brick walls, formerly supporting pergola (see angled pilasters to sides of portico). Garden wall to rear of terrace, adjoining house to south-west and forming south-east side of stable courtyard to rear. Probably of 1689. Roughly squared limestone with stone coping. Approximately 60 metres long. Buttresses to rear. Round-arched gateway at south-west end with panelled gate, radial fanlight and keystone. The terrace is probably contemporary with the tower and porte-cochere added to the south-east front of Cornbury House c.1850, now demolished (see old photographs kept in the house - April 1987). Belcher carried out work at Cornbury House in 1901-6 and the summerhouse and former pergola probably date from this time (both are shown in old photographs kept in the house). William Talman was employed at Cornbury by the Earl of Clarendon in 1689 and the garden wall to the rear of the terrace probably dates from this time, either wholly or in part. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p555)

Listing NGR: SP3498018008