The Grove

THE GROVE

A house at 55 St Mary Street, Chippenham, standing at a right angle to the road and facing south. Built in four successive blocks dating from the 17th century, with extensions added to the right in the early 18th century, and further extensions in the early and mid 19th century.

The building is constructed of limestone rubble with freestone quoins to the 17th and 18th century blocks, and ashlar to the later sections. The roof is covered with stone slate over the centre, right side and part of the rear, with Welsh slate to the left and remaining rear portions. Ashlar chimney stacks rise from the gable ends and rear, with brick shafts to some stacks.

The house is two storeys high with an attic storey, presenting a seven-window range across its front, with two windows to each of the three main blocks and one to the 19th century extension.

The 17th century block on the left is set back beneath a steeply pitched Welsh slate roof with quoins rising to two storeys. On the garden front, an 18th century high parapet has been added, featuring a pedimented dormer containing a two-light casement window. The first floor has timber lintels supporting central paired 19th century sash windows of six over six panes, with a further six over six pane sash to the right. An early 19th century cast-iron trellis spans this block, originally supporting a canopy. The ground floor contains a moulded architrave to early 19th century French windows with margin panes, and a 20th century half-glazed door to the right. The rear elevation has a moulded architrave to a six over six pane sash window. Internally, the west wall facing the street is approximately 1.5 metres thick and houses an open fireplace with a 17th century cyma-moulded architrave and a segmental, almost semicircular-arched shaft to an adjacent window. An ogee-stopped lateral beam sits above the fireplace. The room features early 18th century full-height panelling with a coved cornice, and to the rear right is a recess with shaped shelves.

The early 18th century central block has a stone slate roof hipped to the front and right, and gabled to the left, with chamfered rusticated quoins and an eaves cornice. The first floor windows are six over six pane sashes with crown glass, set within moulded architraves and positioned above a cornice and blocking course. Below sits an early 19th century splayed bay of three equal facades, containing French windows with margin panes and crown glass. The left return has one six over six pane sash window to each floor; the ground floor window (temporarily blocked) sits within an early 18th century moulded architrave with cornice, partly obscured by the cast-iron trellis. The entrance to this block is pointed-arched. The main front room features an early 18th century box cornice and full-height raised-and-fielded panelling, wide floorboards, and a late 19th century fireplace. The entrance hall has raised-and-fielded panelling below a dado rail. To the rear, within the stair turret, is a newel stair with an early 18th century wide swept rail and turned balusters.

The mid 19th century wing to the right is lower and cants forward. It contains one six over six pane sash window to the first floor above a large blind eight over eight pane sash window with painted glazing bars. To the left is a smaller eight over eight pane sash window; all have raised surrounds and bracketed sills, with a platband between floors. At the far right is an ashlar single-storey lean-to with a three-light metal casement window. A smaller, windowless lean-to steps down the slope toward the River Avon. On the rear elevation, the first floor right contains a two-light stone-mullioned window with edge-roll moulding and leaded glazing, fixed to the right with a small-paned metal casement to the left. To its left is a six over six pane sash window. The eaves cornice formerly continuing along the right return stops above the rear quoin. A brick stack rises from a rear corner fireplace.