Painsford Manor

Painsford Manor is a house, now a farmhouse, formerly the seat of the Kelland family. The building probably dates from the late 16th or early 17th century, possibly incorporating even earlier fabric, and was remodelled in the late 17th century for John Kelland, then remodelled again in the late 18th and/or early 19th century.

The house is constructed of dressed slate rubble with a stuccoed front wall. The main roof is of slates with gabled ends and asbestos slate at the front; the section set back at the left has a lower slate hipped roof, and the rear wing has a catslide roof. Chimneys are axial and gable end stacks with brick shafts dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, except for the right hand shaft which appears to be later 19th century.

The plan comprises a tall two-storey main range of four-room plan facing south, with a cross-passage between the two centre rooms. The two right hand east rooms are relatively small and have an axial partition at the back providing a stairhall and entrance lobby. The room set back slightly at the left hand west end has a lower floor level and high ceiling. To the south west at the front of the left hand room are the remains of a long wing at right angles, with an open-fronted loggia on the ground floor; the first floor and roof have been removed. Behind the cross-passage and the room to the left of centre is a short two-storey wing of two rooms width, the left hand room containing the back stairs. To the left of this rear wing is a stone-vaulted cellar under the higher ground level behind the left end room of the main range.

A chapel was licensed on the site in 1400, indicating that a house existed here in the 15th century, but what survives is probably mainly late 16th or early 17th century fabric. The late 16th or early 17th century house had a long gallery reputedly over a loggia in a south west wing to the front of the left end of the main range; only the arcade of the loggia and ground storey walls of the wing survive. The main range is more complete but in a remodelled form, probably heightened and with the front wall rebuilt forward slightly in the late 17th century and refenestrated in the late 18th and/or early 19th century. The internal arrangement of its four-room plan also results from the late 17th century remodelling. The cross-passage has late 17th century panelling on the left side and a thick wall on the right side with an axial fireplace heating the room to the right. This room is one of two relatively small right hand rooms, and the stairhall and lobby behind were probably all formed in the late 17th century from one large room. It may have been the hall of the late 16th or early 17th century house. There may originally have been a wing at the front at this end balancing the long gallery-loggia wing to the left, forming a large U-shaped plan house. The outbuilding immediately south east of Painsford Manor may be that wing, now detached from the main range. The chapel was rebuilt by John Kelland in 1683–7, a date consistent with the architectural features of the late 17th century remodelling of the interior, and it was almost certainly John Kelland who provided the grand first floor chambers in the main range. The late 18th and/or early 19th century alteration included refenestration and some internal alterations including the replacement of the main stairs; the house was probably also reduced in size at this time.

Exterior: The front elevation presents two tall storeys with an asymmetrical composition of four windows plus one window range set back to the left. The two first floor windows to the right are at a lower level. On the first floor, there are two 19th century tripartite sashes with glazing bars to the left, a 19th century 30-pane sash to the right of centre, and a late 19th century sash to the right with vertical glazing bars only. On the ground floor are two 19th century 20-pane sashes to the right and a large 20th century window to the left in an old opening. A doorway to the left of centre has an early 19th century glazed and panelled door with a rectangular overlight, now enclosed within a 20th century conservatory or porch. The left hand end of the front is set back and was formerly an internal wall to a wing at the front. It has a fine late 16th or early 17th century Tudor arch fireplace exposed on the first floor, which probably heated what was reputedly a long gallery over a loggia that projects at the left hand end of the house. This is now a roofless ruin with finely dressed slate walls and a six-bay arcaded front to the inner east face. The arcade has finely dressed slate octagonal piers with moulded bases and decking to the capitals supporting chamfered segmented almost round arches; the arch to the left of centre has collapsed and the wall above the arcade has been demolished. The right hand gable end of the main range has a late 18th or early 19th century round-headed stair window with glazing bars on the first floor to the right. The back wall of the main range is blind except for a doorway with a late 18th century panelled door and a slated canopy. The masonry of the back wall shows indications of an integral lateral stack, now truncated, but which may have been the hall stack before the late 17th century remodelling. To the right of centre at the rear is a short wing with a catslide roof and 19th century casement windows. The left hand end of the main range has two very large blocked first floor windows in the end wall and a projecting lateral stack on the back wall.

Interior: The interior is largely the result of the late 17th century remodelling and retains some good features of this period. The staircase in the rear right hand stairhall is a late 18th or early 19th century replacement; it is a dog-leg staircase with an open string, stick balusters and moulded handrails ramped up to column newels. The stairhall has fine late 17th century bolection moulded panel partitions separating it from the front rooms and rear lobby. The two front rooms at the right hand end are quite tall but have no features except for internal window shutters. The cross-passage has a late 17th century moulded plank partition on the left side, backed with early 17th century panelling in the room to the left of centre; this room also has a 17th century panelled rear wall and a blocked fireplace said to have a stone arch. The extreme left hand room has a lower floor level, a fireplace in the rear wall with a reused Tudor arch lintel, and a very high ceiling with heavy unchamfered beams and reused moulded joists with run-out stops. Behind this room is a stone-vaulted cellar under the ground at the back. The first floor has some late 17th century bolection moulded two-panel doors and 18th century chimneypieces. There are four rooms on the first floor to the left centre and in the rear wing with bolection moulded panelling. One chamber over the centre at the back of the main range is completely panelled with a bolection moulded chimneypiece. Another very fine late 17th century chamber to the left of centre in the main range has bolection panelling and a very good bolection moulded chimneypiece, its cornice breaking forward at the centre; the large panelled double doors of this room have a doorcase with a very fine broken pediment facing the landing, which has bolection dado panelling. The chamber at the left end is also lined with bolection panelling and has a similarly moulded chimneypiece. The roof space was not inspected; the pitch is fairly low.