Milton Court, Including Attached Forecourt Walls, Balustrading, Terrace, Piers, Urns And Ball Finials

Milton Court, including attached forecourt walls, balustrading, terrace, piers, urns and ball finials

Originally a large house, now offices, built in 1611 by the Evelyn family as the dower house to their main seat at Wotton House. The building underwent alterations probably around 1858 for Douglas Biggar by an unknown architect, but was greatly altered, enlarged and refenestrated between 1871 and 1880 by William Burges for Lachlan Mackintosh Rate, a wealthy lawyer, banker and philanthropist. The large late 20th-century north-east wing is not of special interest.

The building is constructed of 17th-century English bond and 19th-century Flemish bond brickwork with sandstone window dressings, rendered stringcourse and quoins, a 20th-century tiled roof and six clustered brick chimneystacks. Originally an E-plan building of two storeys and attics with five bays and pointed gables, these were replaced shortly after 1857 by curved gables. Two storey square bays were inserted into the end bays and two storey further bays with curved gables added at the sides. To the rear, a central projection was added with canted bays, a loggia and an oriel window to the stairwell.

The south-west entrance front is mainly 17th-century English bond brickwork. Windows are predominantly mullioned to the second floor and 3, 4 and 5-light mullioned and transomed casements to the ground and first floors, with some retaining leaded lights. A central full-height projecting porch features a round-headed arch and an original early 17th-century doorcase with moulded architrave and a door with twelve fielded panels below and a sunray design with strapwork in the spandrels above.

The north-west garden front has five curved gables but a mid-19th-century central projection of seven bays obscures the central three. This has a strapwork parapet to the central window. Other windows are in two 3-light canted bays. A penticed extension to the left contains a three-bay loggia with round-headed arches with keystones. A stone full-height bay with leaded lights on the left side elevation lights the main staircase. A two-bay projecting service extension is located to the right. The service end to the north-west has a projecting timber-framed bay with various types of brick infill. 19th-century cement balustrading is attached to the north-east corner of the front elevation. Attached to the rear elevation is a forecourt wall with cemented balustrading incorporating two piers with urns and a stone terrace with two steps, two urns and ball finials.

The interior retains significant early 17th-century features including a very fine oak well staircase with bulbous pilasters and square chamfered newel posts with double ball finials. There are five original carved Jacobean doorcases, two opening from the staircase on both ground and first floors and one on the other side of the Drawing Room on the first floor. The roof structure with queenposts and collar beams survives, although the partitions have been removed.

The most interesting 19th-century features are in the former ground floor Dining Room and first floor Drawing Room and Boudoir, all designed by William Burges. The Dining Room has a red and black stencilled decoration ceiling and two 4-centred arched fireplaces. The Drawing Room has a strapwork panelled ceiling with red, black and green stencilled decoration, panelling with frieze and two florid Jacobean style fireplaces. The Boudoir has a painted ceiling with sky and clouds and painted panelling with wild flowers; the paintings alone are not considered to be by Burges. Several other rooms retain 19th-century panelling, fireplaces and window seats.

Milton Court was owned until the 1830s by the Evelyn family, then passed to Charles Barclay and Douglas Biggar. In 1864, the wealthy lawyer, banker and philanthropist Lachlan Mackintosh Rate purchased the house, and the family retained ownership until 1936. During the Second World War, W T Henley, a cable manufacturer, occupied it and it was also used as offices and residences for London evacuees. In 1965 it was bought by National Employers Life Assurance Company Ltd, who covered over many of the decorative features. The building is currently owned by the Unum Group, who carried out extensive restoration around 1993 and added a late 20th-century wing.