Bickham House

Bickham House is a country house, reputedly built in 1876, a date that is stylistically appropriate. It has 20th-century additions. The walls are of dressed limestone blocks of varying sizes. The roof is hipped slate with sprocketted eaves to the main block; the rear wings have gabled roofs, and the right-hand side wing has a stepped gable at its front. The main block has 2 symmetrical axial chimney stacks of dressed limestone blocks, and each rear wing has 1 stack. A later wing also has a similar tall gable with a 20th-century axial stack.

The building consists of a central block with parallel rear wings on either side. The main block contains a large central entrance hall with stairs at its rear, opening from which are 2 principal front rooms with 2 side rooms behind them. The right-hand wing originally contained subsidiary and service rooms. A small additional wing was built, probably in the early 20th century, at the rear of the right-hand wing and was extended in the later 20th century.

The house is 2 storeys with an attic. The front elevation is symmetrical with 5 windows, all original 18-pane hornless sashes. The 2 first-floor windows on the left-hand side have small blind hoods. Windows have moulded stone architraves; those on the ground floor have slightly projecting cornices incorporated into a flat band running above them. At the centre of the ground floor is a wide segmental arch with projecting moulded imposts leading to a recessed porch. The original glazed and panelled door is divided by pilasters from similar flanking panels with 3 glazed panels above. The 3 second-floor windows are dormer windows with 2-light 16-pane sashes. A dentilled stone cornice below the eaves extends around the 3 principal fronts.

The left-hand facade is similar but not quite symmetrical due to differing positions and widths of first-floor windows and what was probably an original 3-light ground-floor bay window to the right. The right-hand facade also has slightly irregular fenestration with a central ground-floor bay window, which may have been inserted. Projecting from its right-hand end is the circa early 20th-century addition, which extends further to the right. At the rear, later single-storey additions have been built between the 2 wings. The original stair window at the rear of the main block is under a weatherboarded gable. It is of 32 panes with the top 4 lights having segmental heads, and above the gable is a circular window.

Interior: The entrance hall retains its original large open well staircase with an open string. The newels are fluted column form alternating with barley twist; the balusters are fluted. The handrail is wreathed and the tread ends are carved. There is a fielded panelled dado with intermediate Ionic fluted pilasters opposite the newels. The stair window contains stained glass with a leaf design in the style of William Morris.

Few other original internal features survive. The majority of the fireplaces were brought into the house in the later 20th century from Maristow House in Tamerton Foliot parish. One original first-floor fireplace, however, is of unusual design, with a chimneypiece set within a larger fireplace opening that has a dentilled cornice.

The house was built as a good-quality residence of a fashionable design and preserves quite well its original external appearance and internal room layout.