Bathampton House

STEEPLE LANGFORD WARMINSTER ROAD SU 03 NW (off south side) 2/100 Bathampton House 23.3.60. GV II* Country house. 1694 for Francis Perkins and Mompesson family, altered 1760's for William Moody. Rubble stone and dressed limestone, tiled hipped roof, four fine ashlar stacks with fielded panels and moulded cappings. Originally U-plan, small rear courtyard filled in mid C18. Two-storey with basement and attic, 7 sashes to front. Central door with 6 fielded panels and transom light in eared architrave with semi-circular Tuscan porch, basement to left has two 2-light recessed chamfered mullioned casements, to right is mullioned casement and two 3-light leaded casements, ground floor has three 12-pane sashes in eared architraves, moulded wooden eaves cornice to roof with five hipped dormers with 6-pane top hung casements. Channelled rusticated quoins to front. Left return has blocked window to ground floor, 2-light mullioned casement to basement and sash to first floor in eared architrave, rear range has sashes in C20 restored architraves. Right return has large external stone stack to left with cross windows to right, rear range has C20 basement door and 3-light mullioned and transomed window to ground and first floor. Rear, garden front has 3-storey C19 ashlar canted bay to right with French windows and 8- pane sashes, basement to left has three 2-light mullioned casements and door with 6 fielded panels in eared architrave, ground floor has pair of flush sashes in eared architrave to left, 6-pane sash over door, two 18-pane sashes with thick glazing bars to centre bays, 6-pane sash and 12-pane sash lighting stairs. First floor has tripartite sash to left, 12-pane flush sash and pair of 16-pane sashes in moulded architraves. Straight joints evidence of former courtyard to centre of rear facade. Interior: Most fittings are C18; east stairs probably early C18 with two barleysugar balusters per open string tread, wide moulded handrail ramped to first floor, stairs up to attics have columnar balusters, west stairs replaced with lift mid C20. South east room has full fielded panelling and Adam-style plaster ceiling, doors with 8 fielded panels. North east drawing room has very fine white marble Gothick fireplace, reputed to come from Fonthill and probably late C18; ogee-headed opening flanked by composite shafts, elaborately carved frieze of allegorical scenes of lawyers and doctors below coved cornice. White marble fireplace in north west room probably mid C18. House on site of earlier Mompesson manor house; their town house is in Salisbury Close. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975)

Listing NGR: SU0170938030