Gaunt's House (Dumpton School)

This is a country house, originally built in 1809 and later significantly enlarged in 1887. It was designed by William Evans of Wimborne for Sir Richard Carr Glyn, and later altered by George Devey. The building is constructed of brick with slate roofs, incorporating brick stacks set irregularly, and features parapets and coped gables. The general form is of two and three storeys plus an attic.

The main entrance front features a square, four-storey tower on the left end, topped with a battlemented parapet on a corbel table. The tower has raised brick quoins and a few plain sash windows. To the right of the tower is a range with five Flemish-style gables, the central bay projecting slightly. This bay has triple sash windows with brick hoodmoulds on the ground and first floors; the ground and first floors each have two sashes, and the attic has one. To the left of this bay, the ground and first floors each have three plain sash windows under hoodmoulds, with a string course linking the first-floor hoodmoulds. Above are two similar sashes in the attic. To the right of the bay, there are two sash windows on each floor, and at the right end, an open stone portico with a flat roof and cornice, supported by pairs of Ionic columns (this may be the original entrance, re-set). A timber, octagonal bell turret with an ogee shaped lead cap and weathervane rises from the main roof.

The original 1809 villa section projects forward at the right end of the house and is of two storeys and attic, with a central multi-flue stack with an ornamental cap. It has two Flemish-style gables linked by a balustraded parapet. The original entrance has been replaced by a Venetian window, incorporating Tuscan pilasters. A terracotta bust of Queen Victoria is set within the tympanum, along with inscriptions commemorating the original building and its extension, marking the Jubilee Year. Flanking the Venetian window are two sash windows with glazing bars and ornamental terracotta plaques above. Five sashes with glazing bars are on the first floor, beneath a stone band course. Two plain sashes are in the attic. A single-storey extension runs along the right end, and a range of single-storey outbuildings are attached to the left.

Internally, the original house features a stone staircase with an iron balustrade, a plaster ceiling in the Drawing Room with decorative enrichment, and enriched cornices in other rooms. Fireplace surrounds are also present, and there are some mahogany panelled doors. The building is reputed to be George Devey’s last work.