The Captain'S House And Attached Wall To South East

PORTLAND

SY6873 HIGH STREET, Fortuneswell 969-1/3/116 (North side) 21/09/78 The Captain's House and attached wall to SE (Formerly Listed as: HIGH STREET House between King Street and Mallams, Facing High Street)

II

Ruins of former large detached house. Mid C18. Portland ashlar with pecked surface, no roof. This is a long-standing ruin of a dignified house, built in two parts; left is a symmetrical two-storey 3-windowed unit with central portico, then, beyond a straight joint, a wide one-bay unit with two-storey canted bay. Left part has 3 over 2 openings with stone cills, formerly with sashes, and a central Gibbsian portico to pediment, remains only of cheeks and banded front piers. Full entablature with modillion cornice and pediment remain, also worn steps and lowest stone course to cheeks. Openings each side of porch to basement. The canted bay to right formerly had 3 large sashes at each level with extremely narrow corner mullions. The left (N) return has an elegant small Palladian window with keystones over a similar doorway. South gable has central opening at first floor and another at ground floor, left. Interior has cross wall to centre, remains of a fireplace in the E wall at first floor,to square opening and hearth, above similar of less projection to ground floor. Wall niche opposite main door, and a shallow niche c 2m high x 450mm wide on the E wall near the Palladian door. There are steps down to basement from the entry hall, which has stone floor. Subsidiary features: from the middle of the south gable wall a stone boundary wall c 2.5m high runs out to site boundary, and returns forward towards High Street in irregular steps. This was formerly one of the grandest houses in Underhill, but now needs some attention to stabilise it for the future. (Royal Commission on Historical Monuments: Dorset: London: 1970-: 254-5).

Listing NGR: SY6852573419