Combe Hay Manor

Combe Hay Manor is a Grade I listed manor house built in two distinct phases. The western part dates to circa 1728–30 and has been attributed to John Strahan of Bristol. The east and south elevations date to circa 1770–75 and display many similarities to the work of James Wyatt or George Steuart. The house was built for Robert Smith and his son, John.

The building is constructed in ashlar with hipped slate roofs behind a blocking course, modillioned cornice, and pulvinated frieze to the west front. Ashlar stacks are present. The structure comprises two storeys and attics in hipped dormers, with a basement to the east side.

The west front displays a three-bay, two-bay, three-bay arrangement, with the central bays marked by Giant Ionic pilasters supporting a pediment. Glazing bar sash windows sit in lugged and moulded architraves with cills on brackets; a pulvinated frieze and dentilled cornice sit over the ground floor windows. Bays two and seven are blocked. The central feature is a Venetian window with Ionic pilasters to the outer lights; the central light is a blank round-headed niche with an elaborate keystone supporting a shield of arms (John Smith and his wife, post 1775) surrounded by an enriched rococo cartouche.

The south front has three bays. The outer windows are tall tripartite glazing bar sashes divided by Tuscan pilasters supporting a frieze with paterae and a pediment. A central glazed doorway sits in a Tuscan column doorcase with fluted capitals and plain entablature, with a shallow semi-circular niche above. The ends of the elevation break forward as wide pilasters decorated with tall round-headed niches on the ground floor and oval niches above.

The east front comprises seven bays with glazing bar sash windows without surrounds. A central panelled door with overlight sits in a doorcase with paired half-columns and side lights, all surmounted by a pediment.

Interior features are extensive. The hall has a coved ceiling and enriched frieze, with a screen at the west end of two Tuscan columns with fluted capitals. Panelled doors sit in enriched surrounds with paterae and moulded cornice.

The drawing room features an anthemion frieze and an oval ceiling with scalloped centre surrounded by sixteen linked oval panels bordered with leaves. Four oval corner panels are painted with grisaille of cherubs. A marble neo-classical fireplace is present, along with panelled doors in architraves with frieze.

The dining room contains an apsidal niche at the north end enriched with plasterwork, an enriched frieze, panelled doors with enriched frieze, and a marble fireplace.

On the west side of the house are four rooms with features of the 1728–30 period. The oak room has plain fielded panelling and modillioned cornice. Eight-panel doors sit in enriched and lugged architraves under pediments. An overmantel surround features guilloche moulding with side volutes, an open segmental pediment with shield and swags, and enriched frieze. On the opposite wall is a panel in an enriched surround with side volutes, bay leaf frieze, and swan-neck pediment with central shell and C-scrolls.

The morning room features fielded panelling with enriched cornice. Eight-panel doors sit in lugged architraves under dentilled pediments. A coloured marble fire-surround is present, with an overmantel of a central panel with swags and a female head under a shell, side volutes, and segmental pediment with egg and dart cornice. Flanking the fireplace are fluted Doric pilasters supporting a triglyph frieze with decorative metopes. Similar treatment appears on the opposite wall but with a central mirror in an enriched surround.

The staircase hall contains an oval glazed lantern with enriched frieze.

On the first floor to the west are three panelled rooms with dentilled cornices, each with a 1728–30 fire surround. The southern room has a lugged architrave and overmantel with a relief bust flanked by swags set on a panel surmounted by a pediment (illustrated in Gibbs' Book of Architecture, 1728). The central room has a lugged architrave and overmantel with fielded panel, side volutes, and segmental pediment. The north room has a lugged surround with bold egg and dart moulding and an overmantel in an enriched border.