Bowden House

Bowden House

A house dating from the 18th century, remodelled and extended in the early 19th century, with some late 20th-century alterations. The building is constructed of plastered stone rubble with a slate roof featuring gabled ends and a modillion eaves cornice. The gable end stacks have rendered shafts; the stacks at the ends of the main central block are topped with moulded cornices.

The original 18th-century central block has an almost square double-depth plan with two principal rooms at the front, an entrance passage between them leading to a stair hall and closet behind the left room, and a kitchen behind the right room. Early 19th-century remodelling added symmetrical wings set back to the left and right of the rear rooms. The left wing contains the drawing room, accessed via an axial passage from the stair hall. The right wing is a service range with an entrance passage and an outshut at the right end. The house is raised on a basement which forms a terrace at the front; an early 19th-century verandah once stood here. The early 19th-century remodelling also involved replacement of most internal joinery, including the stairs.

The east front is two storeys, attic and cellar, arranged in a symmetrical 2:3:2 bay composition. The centre three bays form the original house, with flanking two-bay wings set back; the modillion cornice of the main block continues around these additions. All windows are 12-pane sashes in segmental-headed openings, dating to the 19th century except for the ground floor windows of the left wing, where one is a facsimile and one is a garden door. The central doorway has an 18th-century six-panel door with flush lower panels and glazed upper panels, with a panelled doorcase. A late 20th-century Tuscan porch replaces a 19th-century verandah (formerly a wood-pillared structure with slate roof). At the angle with the right wing is a flight of steps leading to a service doorway with a plank door and a lean-to porch serving both this and a cellar doorway. The outshut at the right end of the right wing has exposed stone rubble walls and a 20th-century garden door. The rear elevation features a large round-headed stair window, a sash with glazing bars, probably 19th century.

Interior features include what appear to be 18th-century moulded cornices in the principal front rooms and hall. The ground floor has a complete set of early 19th-century moulded six-panel doors and panelled internal window shutters, whilst first floor six-panel doors are 18th century. The open well staircase is early 19th century with a scrolled open string, stick balusters, mahogany hand rail ramped up to column newels and wreathed over the curtail. A dog-leg servants staircase with stick balusters leads to the attic. The right front room contains an early 19th-century marble chimneypiece with flanking alcoves fitted with mahogany veneered cupboards. The front left room has a reused 18th-century style chimneypiece. The ground floor room in the left wing has a reused 19th-century marble chimneypiece. The rear right kitchen has been refitted in the 20th century.