Runnymede Park

The mansion at Runnymede Park was built between 1789 and 1792 by Samuel Wyatt. It is a large brick building faced with rendered Coade stone panels, and has a hipped roof covered with green Penrhyn slate and a parapet. The building has a rectangular plan with a wing extending to the north. The west-facing entrance front projects slightly and features a triangular pediment. It has heavily moulded eaves cornices and a string course above the ground floor. Seven windows are arranged on each floor, with square-shaped windows on the second floor all having architrave surrounds. Triangular pediments sit on small brackets above the first-floor windows, while flat cornices are above the ground-floor sash windows. A large, open porch with an entablature supported by eight Doric columns and two Doric pilasters is centrally located. The central doorway within the porch has a round head, flanked by pilasters, and features a semicircular fanlight with tracery above double doors, which are half-glazed.

The east-facing garden front is of similar design, but is two storeys high and also features seven windows. The first-floor windows have architrave surrounds and triangular pediments on brackets, while the ground-floor windows have architrave surrounds and flat cornices on brackets. Sash windows with glazing bars are present throughout; the vertical bars are wood and the horizontal bars are metal. Panels are placed between the ground and first floors, directly in line with the windows. These are mostly rectangular, decorated with swags and paterae, but the central section is distinguished by two oval panels with finely moulded figured reliefs in Coade stone. The central doorway here is round-headed, with an architrave supported by two Doric columns and a semicircular fanlight with tracery above half-glazed doors. Single-storey additions have been made to both sides of the main house, featuring heavily moulded entablatures supported by Doric pilasters with individual pediments above the cornices, and French windows with small panes of glass.

Inside, the entrance hall to the garden has a groin vault with large foliated bosses. The main entrance hall is separated from this smaller hall by a square-headed opening with a semicircular fanlight above. Both the main hall and the staircase have modillion cornices. A fine dog-leg staircase has wrought iron balusters decorated with an anthemion motif. An Adam fireplace is also present. The ground floors are constructed on parallel brick barrel vaults, a construction technique characteristic of Samuel Wyatt’s work. Historical records show ownership by the Jebb family from 1760-1787.