Snowshill Manor

Snowshill Manor is a substantial manor house now housing a collection, located in Snowshill village. The building dates from the 17th century, with further work around 1720 and in the 19th century, followed by restoration undertaken between 1919 and 1923 by and for C.P. Wade, with minor later alterations.

The house is constructed of coursed, squared stone approaching ashlar, with stone slate roofs. It follows a Z-plan arrangement with two-room ends, a four-room centre, and two-and-a-half storeys, with a short additional wing towards the garden.

The south elevation serves as the entrance front. A plinth supports the composition. The main entrance is a half-glazed door positioned to the right of centre, accessed by three stone steps. The door features four flush panels, a moulded surround, a large keystone, rusticated voussoirs, and a pediment carried on acanthus consoles, bearing the Sambach coat of arms. To the right are two two-light mullion and transom windows with leaded lights and iron opening casements, their moulded surrounds matching the door. To the left, a change in stone colour marks where two sash windows with wide glazing bars and eared surrounds with dummy keystones are positioned. A plain string course runs across, interrupted by the pediment. On the first floor, three mullion and transom windows appear on the right, with two sash windows on the left. An ashlar chimney rises from the right return eaves, displaying two diamond-set stacks with moulded caps. The roofline features a wooden dentil eaves cornice and hipped roof.

The west elevation is complex. The right end returns from the entrance front with an 18-pane sash window with wide glazing bars and an ashlar surround with dropped keystone at ground floor, above which is a blocked window. An ashlar chimney with a paired stack and moulded cap stands left of centre. The projecting wing to the left shows a boarded door under a flat Tudor arch and a three-light mullioned window with an iron opening light beyond, both serving the cellar. Above these are two blocked two-light mullion windows, and a gabled dormer in the roof contains a two-light casement. The main wing, set back to the left, features all windows with leaded lights and hoodmoulds: a three-light mullioned window to the cellar, a three-light mullion and transom window to ground floor, a four-light mullioned window with king mullion above on the first floor, and a three-light mullioned window in the gable. This section has a parapet gable with cross-gablet apex. High up on the left is a small gabled dormer with a single light. A slightly-projecting lateral chimney sits on the left over the lower wing, constructed of ashlar with paired flues to the upper part and a moulded cap.

On the left projecting wing, built in near ashlar stone, is a wide boarded door with flat stone lintel in the end wall, flanked by single-light windows serving the cellar. A plain string course extends above. An eighteen-pane sash window with glazing bars and beaded arris to the opening sits at ground floor, with a hipped roof above. Against the left return, eleven stone steps lead up to a quarter landing, lined with a stone-wall balustrade on the left with coped top and ball finial at foot. At the top, a wide boarded door with flat stone lintel opens to the ground floor, its opening edged with chamfered arris; a wall is carried up on the left to form a porch with a flat stone roof whose bottom edge is ovolo-moulded.

The north elevation, to the left, features a plinth and windows throughout with hoodmoulds. A two-light window is flanked by a large buttress with offsets and two three-light windows, followed by a square-set 19th-century corner buttress. Above are three three-light windows with varying moulings. To the right, a wall carried up in stone gable contains a three-light window and terminates in a parapet gable with cross-gablet apex. Two gabled dormers to the left contain two-light casements. Set back on the left, at a higher ground level, stands a gable of the 19th-century wing, featuring a tall two-light mullion window on its left at ground floor, a three-light wooden casement to the first floor with wooden lintel, and a two-light similar window above, all beneath a parapet gable with cross-gablet apex. To the right, above the parapet, a 20th-century infill contains a two-light casement.

Facing the road is a 1984 boarded door with moulded stone surround, accessed from the quarter landing by six stone steps with a single iron railing. Scattered across this elevation are two- and three-light mullioned windows with hoodmoulds, some blocked. Three stone parapet gables are visible, the left one carrying a chimney. A projecting chimney to the right has a stone offset on its left only. Another parapet gable to the right supports a further chimney. A projecting 19th-century wing on the right displays a boarded door with four-centred arch in its left return, accessed by four stone steps, alongside a slit and three-light casement with timber lintels. A two-light casement sits in a gabled dormer, and two ridge chimneys support the parapet gable.

The interior begins with an entrance hall of stone paving, dado panelling, moulded cornice, and four panel doors. The room to the left features window seats, fielded panelling, shutters, and a carved panel over the fireplace above an 18th-century cast-iron grate, with moulded cornice. The room to the right of the entrance has dust-ledge panelling, cyma moulding to windows, and an ovolo to the stone fireplace. The stair hall displays dust-ledge panelling with plaster above, three chamfered ceiling beams, a dogleg staircase with turned balusters and swept moulded handrail matching the dado panelling. An adjoining wing room shows fielded panelling below the dado and a bolection-moulded fireplace surround with cast-iron grate and fielded panel over. Two built-in 18th-century cupboards with panelled shutters are present. The Great Hall features small-panel panelling (20th-century insertion), a wide stone fireplace with flat Tudor arch and plain chamfer, and a small cupboard on the left at back with flue. A gallery with turned balusters forming a screen overlooks open well stairs with plain strings, turned balusters, square newels with ornamental finials and pendants, and moulded handrail. A narrow spiral stone stair serves the attics. The ceiling is quartered with wall beams, all with wide chamfers; unchamfered exposed joists remain visible. A room beyond features similar panelling and a panel wooden barrel vault (20th century).

On the first floor, fielded panel doors open from the entrance front to a corridor with cambered ceiling (20th century). The first room to the right shows early 18th-century panelling, dado rail, and moulded cornice. To the left is an early-to-mid 19th-century fireplace surround with cast-iron grate and timber overmantel, alongside original moulded cornice on two walls and dado rail with panelled walls. The room over the stair hall has panelled walls, moulded cornice, and a secret door to a small room beyond with 20th-century panelled barrel vault ceiling. The room over the Great Hall displays small-panel panelling, a stone fireplace with double ovolo moulding, a cambered cross beam, and a ridge beam with double ogee moulding and chamfered ceiling joists boarded over. A timber-framed wall to the room beyond shows similar beam and joist details.

The attics feature ovolo moulding with elaborate stops to most door frames, which are boarded. A close-studded partition between two attics functions as a truss with a ladder part way up one side. The entrance front displays queen strut and collar trusses with curved feet to principals. Two pairs of purlins run throughout, with no ridge member.

The main block, including the Great Hall with chamber over, appears to have been extended to the south in line during the 17th century. The section to the left of the entrance door and the short wing behind were added around 1720. The entrance door was formed by reusing a window surround.

C.P. Wade purchased the property in 1919 and restored it thereafter; he is said to have sourced small-panel panelling from a house in Norfolk for insertion here. The property was given to the National Trust in 1951. It forms a group with a brewhouse, dovecote, garden buildings, wall, gatepiers, and Nos 1–4 Manor Cottages.