Holcombe House

Holcombe House is a large country house with a complex history, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It was extensively extended and altered in the early 20th century by the architect Delmar Blow, who also designed a wing at the right end in a style sympathetic to the local architecture. The house is constructed primarily of limestone ashlar with a stone slate roof, featuring coped gables to the front and rear.

Originally a three-gabled, single-depth house, it now includes a deep central rear wing and the aforementioned wing added by Blow. The front of the house presents a complex fenestration pattern. Ground-floor windows are generally stone mullioned casements, with one 16-pane sash window on the left side; a 2-light hollow chamfer casement serves the cellar. The entrance is marked by a 4-panel door with an overlight, followed by a series of recessed hollow chamfer and recessed ovolo-mould casements. A continuous string course runs along the ground floor, stepping over the door. The first floor has recessed ovolo-mould casements, with a common stopped hood mould above them, along with a 2-light and 3-light recessed hollow-mould under a slopped hood. The gables each feature paired 2-light windows with recessed chamfer details, and a small oculus is found in the porch gable. Smaller blind lights are located in the peaks of the first two gables. The right return demonstrates similar detailing by Blow, with a central door. The left return, a single gable, has a small basement light in the plinth, two 12-pane sashes in architraves, and a 3-light ovolo-mould casement with a stopped hood, alongside a 3-light hollow chamfer casement with a similar hood, finishing with an oculus in the gable peak. The rear of the house exhibits a variety of window openings, with triple and six-fold diagonal ashlar stacks on the gables, and a smaller stack on the central gable.

The interior showcases several significant features, including a stud and plank door within the porch, painted fielded panelling from the 18th century in one room, with Ionic pilasters flanking a stone fire surround. There are also two principal beams with dentilled cornices. The entrance hall retains good 17th-century panelling, and a stone floor is present in the central room, where a large, moulded bressummer and panelling can be found. The original main staircase was replaced by Delmar Blow, although remnants of an older, semicircular stairwell leading to the first and second floors remain. The roof is not generally visible, but demonstrates renovation where exposed. The house is considered a palimpsest, reflecting its layered history and the careful modifications made by Delmar Blow, who lived nearby.