Great Ambrook

Great Ambrook is a house that has been divided into 2 units, comprising a main block dating from the 18th century built over what appears to be a medieval undercroft, with a 17th century rear wing and Edwardian additions. The building was significantly altered in the later 20th century.

The exterior walls are rendered stucco with rusticated quoins, while the rear right-hand wing is rendered rubble. The roof is gable-ended with slate covering, low pitched to the front block behind a low parapet. The front block originally had 2 stucco brick axial stacks at the gable ends. There are 2 rendered stacks at the rear aligned with the left-hand wing, and 2 stacks to the right-hand rear wing, one at the gable end with a rendered brick shaft and the other a rendered rubble lateral stack.

The main 18th century block is single depth with 2 heated rooms flanking a central entrance hall, which leads to a stairwell at the rear. The left-hand room is deeper than the right-hand room. This block is built over a medieval undercroft to an earlier house. At the rear of the hall is the 17th century wing, originally heated by a lateral stack and later relegated to service use when the front block was built. It contains a newel stair in a projection beside the stack.

The main block was remodelled internally and refenestrated around the early 19th century. In the early 20th century a large music room was constructed at the left end, 2 storeys high with a gallery and no first floor. At the right-hand end on the first floor a small dressing room was added, supported on pillars on the ground floor. A 1-room plan wing was added to the rear of the ground floor right-hand room, probably at the same time. Late 19th century single storey extensions exist at the rear. Around the mid-20th century the music room was ceiled to create rooms above, making use of spiral stairs in the projection at the rear which formerly led to the gallery. In the later 20th century the house was divided into 2 units at the lower end of the entrance hall.

The building is 2 storeys with an attic above the main 18th century block to the right. This part originally had a symmetrical 3-bay facade with a slightly projecting central bay. The outer bays have a 2-window front while the central bay has a 3-window front. All windows are probably early 19th century 12-pane hornless sashes. The middle bay has a central doorway with flanking pilasters, each with a carved plaster human face at the top. A moulded frieze and cornice break forward over pilasters at either side. The probably original heavy moulded 6-panel door has a rectangular fanlight with heavy iron radial glazing bars.

A stringcourse runs above the ground floor windows and a moulded cornice above the first floor windows sits just below the parapet.

To the right of the right-hand bay is a small 1-window bay supported on ground floor pillars. Beyond the left-hand bay is a 2-storey early 20th century 4-window addition. The left-hand window on the first floor is octagonal; to its right is a 2-storey canted bay with sash windows. The remaining windows are facsimiles of those of the main block. A doorway to the right of centre has a projecting arched architrave and French windows with marginal glazing. At the left-hand end is a terrace with Doric columns standing on a low wall and supporting a parapet above.

At the rear of this section is a tall semicircular stair projection. Beyond it is the 17th century wing with a rectangular stair projection on the right-hand side. To the left is an early 20th century wing.

The interior features a cross vaulted undercroft with mainly rubble piers but 2 monolithic medieval granite piers survive with capitals having chamfered soffits. Few visible 18th century features remain in the main block apart from some 2-fielded panel doors. An open well early 19th century staircase has column newels, stick balusters and a curtail step. The former music room is panelled up to dado height and has pillars supporting the former gallery. On the first floor are pilasters to the gallery and new landing. The space apparently has a plaster barrel ceiling in the roof-space. This is an ancient and important site, and the present building has a complex evaluation which its facade to a certain extent conceals.