Fetcham Park House

Fetcham Park House

Large house, subsequently school, now offices. Built 1705-1710 by William Talman, with interior decoration by Louis Laguerre; altered and enlarged circa 1870 by Edward I'Anson jun. Red brick in Flemish bond with dressings of Portland stone, sandstone and terracotta; slate roof with brick chimneys. Rectangular double-depth plan under 2-span roof, on north-south axis, with additions at both ends. Two and a half storeys over cellars.

The west front of the original building displays 4:1:3 bays, with additions of 1 bay to the left and 2 bays to the right. The facade features an ashlar plinth, raised rusticated quoins, string courses and sill-bands, a frieze of terracotta swags, and prominent bracketed eaves. At the 5th bay stands a prominent rectangular 2½-storey porch of sandstone ashlar at ground floor and brick above. The porch contains a round-headed doorway with wrought-iron fanlight, flanked by wrought-iron screens in windows each side, framed by Portland stone Corinthian columns. A bowed cornice serves as a balcony to a tall first floor window with segmental-pedimented architrave. The porch roof is a tall steeply-pitched pavilion design, containing a window with pedimented sandstone architrave and above this an oculus with swagged lead surround. A first floor oriel of sandstone sits in the corner to the right of the porch. All other windows are sashed without glazing bars and have wooden blind-hoods. Ground and first floor windows have gauged brick heads incorporating terracotta keystones, terracotta sills and aprons. Attic windows have architraves matching that in the porch. A mansard roof caps the original range with 2 chimneys between the ridges and one at each end.

The additions match the original style. Three-bay return walls include a rectangular bay window of ashlar at the south end. The east front, including the additions, is symmetrical in arrangement of 1:4:3:4:1 bays. The centre has a semi-circular bay at ground floor and a segmental pediment above the attic containing an oculus. Attic windows are arranged 1:2:3:2:1, otherwise matching the west front.

Interior: Almost the entire ground floor front is occupied by a longitudinal entrance hall. The north end features an exceptionally fine early 18th century cantilevered open-well staircase with open string, carved brackets beneath lengthened and overlapped returns from the nosings of the treads, and 3 balusters per tread—2 twisted and one fluted. The handrail is ramped and moulded with a wreathed curtail. The cyma-moulded soffits to the upper flight are carved with decoration. The walls and ceiling at this end are filled with large paintings by Laguerre. The rest of the hall has painted panels replacing fielded panels with grisaille painted statues, which have been relocated elsewhere in the house. The south end of the hall contains a late 19th century inserted partition wall with a pseudo-fireplace in Jacobean style. The room opposite the doorway has a circular ceiling panel painted by Laguerre, with a rich moulded plaster surround and coving featuring vigorous moulded plaster decoration. The late 19th century drawing room at the south end displays 18th century-style plasterwork.