The Old Manor House

House. Built in the early 17th century, with a date of 1609 above the porch, it was extended and encased in late 19th-century additions, and further extended in the 20th century. The original core is constructed of red and brown brick, while the 19th-century wings are tile hung, some in a fishscale pattern. The roofs are plain tiled. The original entrance front now faces away from the road, to the right-hand side. Features include a plinth, a plat band above the ground floor, corbelled eaves to shaped gables, and brick copings. A large, projecting gabled wing to the right has two diamond-pane, leaded casement windows with a cambered head on the first floor. Two larger mullioned and transomed casements are on the ground floor. A lower wing is set at right angles to the left, featuring a large staircase window with leaded glazing. A further shaped-gabled bay is set back to the left, containing one window on each floor. The projecting porch to the front right has Doric brick pilasters, rubbed brick entablatures, and a segmental pediment. It has an arched, keystoned door surround with impost blocks, leading to a half-glazed arched door. A 20th-century extension to the right echoes the style of the main block.

The current entrance front features a large shaped gable to the left and a segmental gable above the entrance to the right. A first-floor oriel window, braced and supporting a leaded “cross” window with three panels, is positioned to the left. Two ground-floor casements are present. A two-storeyed porch to the right displays a leaded casement on the first floor and an arched, keystoned entrance flanked by Doric pilasters and an entablature. The five-panelled door has flanking lights under a dentilled broken pediment.

Inside, there are panelled ground floor rooms. Notable features include 17th-century iron firebacks and a chalk fire surround to the former library, and 17th-century overmantels to fireplaces, one depicting Abraham and Isaac and Judith and the head of Holofernes.

The house was the home of Kapitan Bouvier, manager of the nearby Chilworth Gunpowder Works, which was operated by a German company from the 1880s.