12-14, Wray Common Road

12-14 Wray Common Road

This building was originally one house, later subdivided into two properties. Built in 1881 for Edgar Paine, it is designed in Old English style with Queen Anne influences. On stylistic grounds, it is thought to have been built by local architects Holford, Clayton and Black.

The house is an asymmetrical building of two storeys and attics. The ground floor is constructed mainly of flemish bond brickwork, the first floor features fishscale tile-hanging, and the attic gables are eclectically timber-framed with decorative pargetting. The roof is tiled with brick chimneystacks.

The plan is roughly square with projecting gables incorporating bay windows to the principal rooms on three sides and a projecting former domestic services wing to the rear forming an L-shape.

The entrance front faces west and has a central projecting gable supported on four carved brackets with a decorative metal finial and eclectic timber-framing with incised pargetting depicting cranes and sunflowers. A first floor bay window is positioned above, and the ground floor features a cambered doorcase with fanlight and double doors. A plain wooden porch supported on columns originally had a first floor wooden balcony, shown in a photograph of 1908. To the right is a smaller projecting gable with a cambered sash to the ground floor, and to the left a cambered sash window.

The south elevation, which originally faced extensive grounds, is symmetrical with two projecting timber-framed gables crowned with terracotta floral finials. These gables stood above the drawing room and possibly the morning room.

The east elevation features a large tile-hung gable with two attic windows and a large staircase window below, its form based on Venetian windows but with a sloping cill. A cloakroom window contains a 12-pane sash with floral pargetting decoration above and coloured bottle glass. The gabled former domestic offices adjoins this side and has a canted bay at first floor with pargetting depicting crane decoration, three windows at first floor facing east, and later double doors and conservatories to the ground floor.

The north elevation has a projecting full-height canted bay with projecting gable. The attic storey is timber-framed with pargetting featuring floral motifs and crane decoration, with bay windows below having glazing bars to the upper parts only. An external chimneystack with brick ribs stands to the left, accompanied by two small sash windows with glazing bars to the upper part only and a cambered doorcase. The first floor of the former domestic offices facing west has two windows, one set in a gable, both later replaced in uPVC. The ground floor has a cambered eight-pane window and a cambered four-panelled door.

Interior of No. 12: A dado-tiled vestibule with tessellated floor leads to a large square hall with wooden fireplace and a series of five panelled doors, one with bottle glass. The former study at the front has a fireplace with eared architrave and blue tiling, and a built-in china cupboard. The drawing room to the south has a panelled ribbed ceiling and wooden fireplace with eared architraves, marble and tiled interior. The well staircase retains its original handrail and newel posts, though all balusters and finials have been replaced and the stained glass staircase window no longer remains. The first floor retains wooden fireplaces with floral tiled surrounds and iron firegrates, together with built-in cupboards. The attic retains two simpler cast iron firegrates.

Interior of No. 14: The front room, probably originally the dining room, has a plumed cornice, dado panelling and a five-panelled door. A rear room retains a wooden fireplace with a panel of cupids, two battered pilasters and ovolo moulding. The bedrooms have coved cornices.

Historical Context: The house was originally called Mill Lawn and appears as such on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map. Auction particulars of 1908, following the death of the original owner, show that the house had extensive grounds of approximately three and a half acres, comprising a kitchen garden to the north, croquet or tennis lawn to the south east, orchard further south east, and lodge and stables to the south west. The house contained ten bed and dressing rooms, a bathroom and four reception rooms together with domestic offices. The 1908 sales particulars list a square hall with fireplace, study with painted wooden chimneypiece and small cabinet with glass door, dining room with oak fireplace and bay window, drawing room with walnut chimneypiece, and morning room with wooden chimneypiece. The principal oak staircase was lit by a fine window with stained glass panels representing Music and Painting. All seven first floor bedrooms had fireplaces, and five had cupboards. One communicated with a dressing room and one with a bathroom.

The property was later subdivided into two houses, No. 12 to the south and No. 14 to the north, and the former lodge and stables were sold into separate ownership.

The building is substantially intact and represents high quality work of 1881, influenced by R. Norman Shaw. The exterior form was dictated by the interior planning, with distinctive details including rare decorative incised pargetting to the gables and fine carved brick details. The interior features remain largely intact and the original plan was little altered by the later subdivision.