St Catherine'S Court

St Catherine's Court

A court or manor house, possibly incorporating parts of a priory grange. The building dates from the 16th century, possibly containing older fragments, and was altered in the early to mid-17th century for William Blanchard. Further alterations were made in the 19th century and around 1900 by C.E. Bateman.

The house is constructed of rubble with freestone quoins and dressings, topped with a stone slate roof featuring coped raised verges. The chimney stacks are of ashlar with cornices, with the stack on the east end positioned diagonally. The building rises to two storeys and attics, contained within three steep gables topped with saddleback coping and ball finials on stems.

The ground floor features four cross windows: the outer two are of four lights with king mullions, while the inner two are of two lights. The first floor has two three-light windows. All windows are set within ovolo moulded surrounds, with relieving arches and continuous string courses running over the lower two floors. A central two-storey ashlar porch with canted sides dominates the entrance. The porch features a round-headed doorway with keystone and imposts, decorated with roundels in the spandrels. Flanking Tuscan columns on pedestals support a triglyph frieze. Behind this sits an inner plank studded door in an ashlar doorcase. The angled sides of the porch contain shell-headed niches, while the straight sides are pierced with balustrading. On the first floor of the porch is a 3:1:4:1:3 light cross window with a panel of arms and a balustraded parapet above.

At the east end stands a wing known as the former chapel, distinguished by four panelled ashlar buttresses on its north side. The east gable end features a late 19th-century arcaded loggia on the ground floor and an oriel window above. The rear elevation has been extensively altered, with most of the eastern section dating from the early 20th century, including a conservatory with Tuscan columns, a balustraded parapet, and semi-circular headed windows.

Interior features include the main hall in the north west, which retains much 17th-century glass in square, diamond and lozenge-shaped quarries. An ashlar fireplace with ogee and hollow moulded surround features a four-centred head and moulded mantelshelf, while a rear door has an ogee-step hollow moulded surround.

The north east dining hall contains an ashlar fireplace with a four-centred head in an ogee moulded and reserved chamfered surround, with a plain frieze, moulded cornice, and decorative overmantel featuring reeded Ionic pilasters. The central west room has an ashlar fireplace with ogee-hollow moulded surround, four-centred head, fluted frieze and moulded cornice.

The south-west drawing room retains a fine late 17th-century plaster ceiling with a central oval surrounded by borderwork depicting fruit, vegetables and vines, with square and rectangular side panels.

The south-east library was fitted out in 1915 with a fine copy of an early 17th-century ceiling. On the first floor, the centre north room features 17th-century panelling and a moulded plaster frieze with figures holding shields and circles.

The Blanchard Room in the north west contains 17th-century panelling that has been restored, with an enriched plaster frieze decorated with fantastic animals and shields. One shield bears the initials "WB/S" for William Blanchard, positioned above the west window. The room has an ashlar fireplace with a four-centred head in an ovolo moulded surround with a corbelled-out head.

The centre west room on the first floor features bolection moulded panelling and a fireplace.