Bickham House

Bickham House is a country house with an early 18th-century core that was substantially remodelled and extended in the early 19th century. The earlier fabric consists of cob on stone rubble footings, while the early 19th-century work is in sandstone. All surfaces are colourwashed and plastered. The roof is slate behind a parapet, gableted and half-hipped to the early block, with stacks that have brick shafts.

The original early 18th-century house was east-facing and probably had a central entrance leading into a stair hall. The early 19th-century remodelling took place both within the shell of the existing structure and extended it. The present plan reflects the early 19th-century work: the main block is three rooms wide and double depth with a central entrance into a heated hall. To the left is a full-depth principal room, while to the right is a dining room that projects to the front. A service range occupies the extreme right. The early 18th-century stair is retained to the rear of the entrance hall but partitioned off from it. The early 19th-century interior is very intact.

The building is two storeys and attic. The asymmetrical east front features a moulded cornice below the parapet. The most striking feature is a seven-bay Tuscan portico to the left, with columns paired on either side of the front door and at the left end, returning for four bays along the left side. The ground floor behind the portico is blind except for the front door, which is a wide panelled early 19th-century door with glazed panels to left and right and a rectangular fanlight with diamond glazing bars. The first floor has early 19th and 20th-century sash windows with glazing bars. To the right of the portico, the bow-fronted dining room projects forward with three large 12-pane sash windows. The service block at the extreme right has five first-floor and three ground-floor windows, mostly large small-pane early 19th-century sashes. The left return of the main block has three early 19th-century two-leaf transomed French windows with glazing bars behind the portico, one first-floor sash, and two blind windows.

The rear elevation of the main block incorporates part of the rear wall of the early 18th-century house and features deep coved eaves, a central pediment with an oeil-de-boeuf, and a large round-headed stair window with glazing bars. The other windows are sashes with glazing bars except for an early 20th-century bay window at ground floor right. The service block retains its early 19th-century sashes and a rear service door.

The interior contains notable early 18th-century features including an open string stair with turned balusters and wall panelling, good panelled doors on the ground floor, and more numerous panelled doors on the first floor with more modest two-panel doors at attic level. Early 19th-century interior features include a handsome marble chimneypiece, plaster cornices, and shutters.

The house was the seat of the Short family and is described in 1822 as "now of Bickham, in Kenne". It was illustrated by Swete in 1795.