Wick Court, With Railings And Wall To North

Wick Court is a country house, probably with an early 16th-century rear range enlarged to the north around 1600. The rear appears to be stone with a roughcast face, originally possibly timber framed, while the remainder is built in brick-faced rubble stone. The rear roof is covered with plain tiles, the front gables with stone slates, and the central valley contains some concrete tiles. Two very large brick stacks stand in the valley, possibly lateral stacks to the early range, reduced in height by about 2.5 metres at the time of survey in November 1985.

The house is a double range. The northern range, dating from around 1600, has a central entrance hall entered through a porch, with high status rooms on both main floors and bedroom accommodation in the upper half storey. The medieval range has been much altered by the insertion of a stair to the north range, the addition of fireplaces, and the loss of its westernmost bays. It features five small gables on the north front with a central linking section of roof between the gables and rear ridge.

The house is two storeys with an attic. The symmetrical front has five windows, with two-light mullions to the attic and mullions and transoms below, all executed in rendered brick imitating stone. Two-brick plain strings run between the floors and above the attic windows, which are all blocked. The remaining windows are all blocked to the right of the central two-storey porch, except for an additional single light immediately adjoining the upper storey of the porch. The far left-hand first floor window is also blocked.

The porch has square corner piers, a shallow gable, a moulded two-brick cornice, and a brick plinth. It features a two-light mullion to the front of the upper storey and blocked single lights to each floor in the returns. The entrance has a round archway with a large dropped keystone and a voussoir to each side with projecting imposts, all in rendered brick. A similar inner doorway lacks imposts and is unevenly shaped to the left. The original plank door has elaborate strap hinges. Wooden seats sit on each side of the porch.

The south elevation is roughcast with a planted stone plinth and mostly altered fenestration, except for a small two-light mullion on the stair. The west side has coped gable ends stepped to the front range, a leaded four-light mullion and transom to each on the first floor with two-brick strings above and below, and two long four-light mullions on the ground floor. A blocked central first floor single light is present. The attics have a blocked two-light mullion to the rear range and a two-light mullion and transom with additional lower side lights, also blocked. The east side has a four-light mullion on the front range with some probably original latticing and a small blocked two-light to the left at lower level, and a two arched-light mullion to the rear range. A small 19th-century single storey brick kitchen and wash house with a tile roof and canopy is attached on this side.

Interior

Part of the original 16th-century roof remains to the rear below the flattened roof pitch, with arch braced collar trusses and four pairs of arched wind braces. The front roof appears originally to have been built for a pitched roof with cambered collar beam trusses, but was altered during construction to form sleeping accommodation.

All rooms on the first floor have ovolo moulded and stopped door surrounds with original plank doors and iron latches and hinges. The rear range has wide flat-chamfered beams, and the room to the left also has an original moulded plaster ceiling and coving, and a panel over the fireplace. Similar large beams are found on the ground floor of this range, along with a timber-framed partition wall. The room to the left has two fireplaces: one large one on the north wall, and another with a hollow chamfered stone surround, the opening blocked with brickwork. The original framed open well stair has turned balusters and a moulded handrail, with four hollowed out newel posts retained on the flight up to the attic. Stone flag floors survive on the ground floor left. A timber pointed arch plank door and surround separates the ranges.

Railings and Wall

The wall and railings to the north of the house extend approximately 20 metres in length. They consist of a brick plinth with shaped coping as the base for flat iron railings in a clam shell pattern with panelled iron uprights with pyramidal tops. There is one upright to the left and three to the right of square gatepiers with brick bases and stone caps with panelled sides and an inset roundel carved with foliage on the north side and plain to the south. The piers opposite the porch have moulded cornices, much eroded to the right, while the end similar piers have no cornice.

Historical Context

This house is a remote and almost unaltered example of an Elizabethan house, said to have been used by the Lords Berkeley when catching salmon, and even visited by Queen Elizabeth. As such, it could rank with other small "prodigy" houses.