North Breache Manor

North Breache Manor is a small country house built in 1881-1882 by the architect Aston Webb for John Fletcher Bennett. It was constructed using local stone quarried from Leith Hill, with brick lining, red brick chimney stacks, plaintile roofs, stone dressings, and oak fittings made from timber sourced from the estate itself.

The house has a roughly rectangular but asymmetrical plan in the Tudor Gothic manner, with Arts and Crafts detailing. It was deliberately positioned to command views over the estate, across the Surrey countryside to the sea, with its main elevations facing south and west. The building rises two storeys with attics and small cellars. Over the entrance stands a distinctive three-stage tower topped by a cupola. A single-storey service wing wraps around a small inner courtyard at the rear, with a further small courtyard beyond. Both courtyards sit behind a stone wall that faces the garden to the south and the drive to the north.

A small porch beneath the tower opens into a hall with stairs at the rear. Overlooking the gardens and park to the south is a large drawing room that leads into a conservatory, alongside a smaller morning room or study. The dining room faces north, with kitchens and service areas beyond. On the first floor, a large billiard room sits above the kitchen, with approximately five bedrooms accompanied by dressing rooms or bathrooms. A back stair provides access to the billiard room and continues up to the cupola and viewing platform in the attic.

West Entrance Front

The entrance front is dominated by the tall three-stage tower over the doorway. To the left stands an offset external stack, and to the right a first-floor oriel window. Doors and windows throughout have shallow moulded architraves, with windows featuring deep chamfered stone mullions and transoms. The hall window has cusped lights in its upper register. Two-light windows are set in stone-clad offsets flanking the external stack at ground floor level, with ogee moulded outer arches. The clear glass is probably replaced. Windows are timber casements with rectangular leaded lights, though the hall and porch windows retain stained glass. Throughout the house, original casement frames have a rounded, weatherproofing profile, and many feature wide hinges that allow the window to fold back for cleaning. Many were reglazed around 1920 when fittings were replaced.

The rectangular, embattled tower houses a moulded panelled oak door beneath an arched overlight with vertical stained glass lights. The door has upper linenfold panels, central panels with vertical open slits, and plain panels below. Above the doorcase is a carved panel depicting a pair of birds flanking a central worn cartouche. Flanking the entrance are a bell pull (with mechanism surviving inside) and a pair of iron boot scrapers. The lower stages of the tower are marked by moulded storey bands that correspond with those running across the main elevations. Each stage has a single tall window divided by a broad transom. The tall upper stage is surmounted by a leaded cupola with an ogee profile roof and weather vane. The octagonal drum has openings with cusped heads flanked by blind cusped panels.

The south-east angle features a small leaded cupola over the stair. Behind the embattled parapet is a gabled dormer window faced in applied timber, with three-light casements. On the external stack at storey height sits a sculpted panel. The upper stage of the stack is in flush red brick with stone dressings, rising to a facetted multiple red brick shaft with moulded collars. To the right, under a stone gablet with a central carved panel, is a first-floor oriel with a plain parapet and moulded base.

South Garden Elevation

The garden elevation is arranged in three asymmetrical bays, with the right-hand bay having a two-storey canted bay. The detailing is similar to the west front, with stone mullion and transom windows. The study or morning room has timber casements with plain glass panes and replaced ironmongery. The drawing room bay has sashes with two-light plain glazed casements, both beneath fixed overlights. Upper floor windows have casements with rectangular leaded lights. All bay windows retain deep opening hinges. At first floor level to the left is a blind panel set in a moulded architrave.

Gables and gablets over the first-floor windows carry carved shields and insignia, surmounted by stone finials. A similar panel over the ground-floor bay window depicts a shield flanked by pierced stone tracery. A tall brick multiple stack with facetted spines and moulded caps sits on the ridge, with a large plainer stack in the central valley. Attached to the east is a timber-framed conservatory with a canted entrance to the garden. The east gable has blind vertical panels similar to those on the front door. The conservatory was originally planned at right angles to the drawing room, as shown in Building News in 1881.

East Front

At ground floor level is the conservatory described above. Attached to the south face of the northern block is a lean-to glazed area that is not of special interest. Windows to the gabled east elevation are two- and three-light timber casements under cambered brick arches. Ground floor windows have plain lights, while upper floors have rectangular leaded lights. The large external red brick gable stack (serving the kitchen and billiard room) is partly repaired. A lower two-storey block extends to the east under a hipped roof with a moulded cornice. Windows here have deeper moulded architraves than elsewhere in the building.

North Elevation

To the right is a large three-storey gabled bay with a two-storey canted bay. To the left are four bays under an embattled parapet. Stone mullion and transom windows (some to the kitchen with replaced stonework) have timber casements. Ground floor windows have single panes, while upper floor windows have rectangular leaded lights. Ground floor windows to the bay are timber sashes with plain glass panes under fixed lights with rectangular leaded panes (an 1881 illustration before construction shows these as leaded casements). First-floor timber casements have similar leaded lights and deep opening hinges. Above is a rectangular window similar to those on other elevations. The gable contains a two-bay blind panel.

To the east is a single-storey service wing under a plain stone parapet with a canted angle. Set back under a barrel-vaulted entrance is a vertically boarded door with original door furniture. Adjacent is a bell pull mechanism. Flanking it to the right is a small two-light rectangular window. To the east, a divided stable door and single boarded door have similar but later details.

Further east is a wall with stone outer face and brick lining, facing the easternmost yard and the garden to the south. This has been altered with inserted or altered windows, all of which are not of special interest. The easternmost yard has two arched doorways—one to the north, one leading into the garden to the south—and retains iron fencing from former dog kennels.

All elevations feature cast iron rainwater goods with fine embattled hoppers.

Interior

The porch at the base of the tower is tiled in red, black, and cream encaustic tiles, with a pair of inner part-glazed oak doors under a semicircular overlight divided into four vertical panels with rectangular leaded lights. Both this overlight and the front door retain good original door furniture. The overlight to the front door and porch window have similar stained glass.

The hall is lined with three-quarter height oak panelling, which continues as a dado to the stair. Flanking the entrance and lighting the chimneypiece is a large window with good stained glass and original fittings. The oak chimneypiece is integral with the panelling and has a vine leaf cornice, though the stone fireplace and fire back have been introduced later. At the rear of the hall, a three-bay arcade supported on double ogee moulded shafts and with moulded drop finials defines the staircase area. The oak staircase is set in a panelled oak frame with moulded balusters (three per tread), robust moulded newels, and handrail. Doors are of oak with a central horizontal panel, two vertical panels above, and two below. Door furniture is generally replaced and probably early 20th century.

The study or morning room has a deep moulded frieze and cornice from the 1880s, but a replaced stone fireplace. Casement windows have replaced ironmongery. The drawing room (shown as a single space on the original plan, possibly altered) responds to the archway, but the cornice and frieze are from the 1880s. Blank alcoves flank a good but introduced steel grate and mantelpiece. Windows appear to be original with original fittings and panelled shutters. A pair of glazed doors under an external stone arch lead to the conservatory. The conservatory floor is tiled similarly to the porch and has a simple truss roof.

The dining room is the most altered room in the house, but has been unaltered since at least 1933. It has three-quarter height oak panelling and skirtings introduced probably around 1920. It retains original unpainted oak sashes, possibly with vertical sliding shutters, set in moulded architraves. A large inglenook fireplace retains its 1880s flanking oak seats, but the chimneypiece has been remodelled, probably around 1920. The bressumer has been rationalised, and panelling of the chimney breast matches that on the walls. The brick and tile fireplace also appears to be around 1920. The introduced fireback is cast iron, probably 17th century. A large-scale deep vine leaf plaster frieze butts against the current ceiling with no cornice. The ceiling looks replaced. A hatch to the kitchen retains original fittings, while the door has replaced ironmongery similar to doors opening onto the hall.

The gun room has a corner chimneypiece with a slender timber mantelpiece and overmantel, both probably from 1881 though looking slightly later, and a cast iron grate similar to that in the billiard room (removed for restoration at time of inspection). Service area doors are mostly vertically boarded and retain original ironmongery.

The back stair rises from ground floor to attic and has a ramped and curved rail on stick balusters with square newels with knob finials. A glazed lantern with moulded ribs and drop finial has been reinstated at second floor level. Formerly it lit the stair and landing at first floor, enclosed by a balcony.

The billiard room sits above the kitchen. It is top-lit and ventilated with glazed panels that were removed for restoration at the time of inspection. The room has a panelled ceiling with moulded ribs, moulded dado rail, and deep moulded skirting. Internal window cills are of slate. The chimneypiece has a fine cast-iron grate and tiled (currently painted over) surround with moulded timber mantelpiece with a shaped profile. A former water closet leads off the billiard room.

First floor doors are of six panels and painted. Apart from the billiard room, fireplaces have been removed. Most first floor casements have original frames but with replaced glazing and fittings. Those to the bay window over the dining room are least altered.

History

North Breache Manor replaced the earlier North Breache Farm on roughly the same site. It is reached by a long drive with a single lodge at the junction with the road. It is not known if Webb designed the lodge.

Sir Aston Webb (1849-1930), son of a watercolourist and steel-engraver, was born in Clapham, Surrey. He was articled for five years from 1866 to the architects Robert Richardson Banks and Charles Barry Junior before setting up an independent practice in 1873. From 1881-1882 he was president of the Architectural Association, the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1902-1904, and from 1919-1924 president of the Royal Academy.

Webb was noted principally for his government work and public buildings, many achieved through architectural competitions. He is familiar as the architect of Admiralty Arch (1905-1911, Grade I) and for work at Buckingham Palace (1913, Grade I). Conversely, he was one of a group of architects asked to contribute to Whiteley Village, Elmbridge, Surrey, a planned philanthropic village of 1912 for the thrifty poor. His successful partnership with Ingress Bell, with whom he collaborated until 1909, resulted in several public commissions including Victoria Law Courts Birmingham in 1886-1891, Christ's Hospital, Horsham (1897-1904, Grade II*), and the University of Birmingham (1902).

His early work depended very much on the patronage of his family. For example, Cookham Dene, Chislehurst (Grade II) was built in 1882 for his brother, and Brackenwood, Higher Bebbington, Cheshire was built in the same year for his uncle. North Breache Manor was one of the largest and most extravagant of his private contracts from this earlier period. Most of his other projects at this time were church work, such as the restoration of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London (started in 1885), and smaller projects such as additions and alterations to existing buildings, all on a tighter budget. A significant number of Webb's buildings from this period, including Brackenwood, have been demolished.

North Breache Manor is designated Grade II for the following principal reasons. Sir Aston Webb is noted particularly for his public buildings, many of which are designated at high grades. This is an important example of his domestic output which compares well with other designated examples of his work. It is the most ambitious example of a house by Webb from this period of his career, when most of his work was on a smaller scale and focused carefully on the client's brief. There are some early 20th century additions which have not detracted from the original plan and layout of the house, but added to its overall special interest.