Willesleigh House And Upper Willesleigh

Willesleigh House and Upper Willesleigh is a late 18th-century house, now divided into two separate occupancies. It was likely extended in the mid-19th century. The house is constructed of colour-painted stone, with a hipped slate roof featuring shaped brackets to the eaves soffit. The main range is rectangular in plan, with a central projecting stair turret to the rear, serving a staircase to the rear of a central entrance hall, and single rooms on each side. A hipped slate roof extends over a right-angled projection to the rear right-hand side, adjoining the stair turret but extending beyond it. A gable-ended L-shaped extension, added in the mid-19th century, backs onto the main range and completes the rectangular layout of the rear portion. The main range is three storeys high.

The symmetrical facade has three bays, with the central bay projecting slightly. It features quoin pilasters. Tripartite sash windows are on the upper storeys, with four-paned sidelights. Venetian-style windows are on the ground floor, with intersecting glazing bars to the central sashes and four-paned sliding sidelight sashes. A central Doric porch has detached columns supporting a pediment, with pilasters flanking a half-glazed door of nine panes – three panes to each side light. Tripartite sashes are present on each floor at the left gable end, above a flat-roofed extension. All principal windows have moulded stone architraves. A curved bay window is on the right side with a dentilled cornice, retaining much of its original glass.

Inside, a geometrical staircase features moulded wreathed handrails ramped up to slender turned newels with stick balusters, lit by an oval stairwell light with paterae around the base of the dome. Plaster cornices are in the room to the left of the entrance hall and in the former dining room in the rear right-hand extension, which also has a dado rail and doorways with fluted architraves. Much of the original internal joinery remains, including doors—some are two-panelled—and window shutters. Wine cellar fittings are also intact. Original roof trusses are present, formerly with threaded purlins. The house exhibits group value due to its architectural interest and contribution to the character of the area.