Motcombe House (Port Regis School)

Motcombe House, now Port Regis School, is a country house built in 1893 and 1894, designed by Sir Ernest George and Peto for Lord Stalbridge. The house is constructed of red brick in a Flemish bond pattern, with dressings in Ham Hill ashlar. It has a gabled, asbestos slate roof and diagonally placed brick stacks. The architectural style is a free 'Jacobethan' design. The building is mainly three storeys high, with a five-storey tower. It has a ten-window irregular front facade. Stone mullioned and transomed windows are present, some retaining their original leaded lights and glass. The east end of the facade features a range of five gables with moulded stone copings. The main entrance is in the fourth bay and features a three-storey neo-Jacobean centrepiece with ascending tiers of pilasters (Doric, Corinthian, and Ionic) and a semi-circular arch, leading to a recessed plank door. The north facade adopts a half-H plan with similar fenestration and a central feature, and incorporates a large polygonal bay window to the east. The interior retains its original layout, including a two-storey great hall to the east. Notable features include large ashlar chimney pieces with overmantles, neo-Jacobean moulded and ribbed plaster ceilings, and full-height wooden panelling in some rooms. The heavy timber staircase has newel-posts carved with dogs and shields, along with strapwork balustrades.