The Mythe

The Mythe

Country house in Tewkesbury, dating from the mid-18th century with an early 19th-century facade, wing, and internal alterations. A rainwater head at the back of the building is dated 1812. The main front is constructed in ashlar with rendered returns, while the wing is built in English bond brickwork. The roofs are slate.

The building is a large rectangular symmetrical block set across the ground slope, presenting a 2-storey facade with basement to the front, which becomes 3-storey at the back. A long narrow wing extends back to the left. The front elevation is 3-windowed with 3:3:3-light stone-mullioned casements under stopped drips, their lights having 4-centred heads. At ground floor are 2 canted bays with traceried lights below hipped stone roofs with stepped weathering and brattished edges. The tops of pointed arches serving basement lights are visible below. The centre features a Gothick doorway with side-lights set within a stone porch with pent roof, flanked by square buttresses rising to nodding ogee heads and set-back gabled pinnacles. The porch sits on 4 sandstone steps with nosings and balustrade walls. The facade includes a plinth, weathered mid-string, cornice and blocking with saddle-back coping, the blocking raised at the centre and carrying a shield of arms surmounted by a stag's head—the arms of William Porter, who acquired the house in 1812.

The right return is lined-out rendering with a central 12-pane arched stair window at first floor flanked by 16-pane sashes, with 12-pane sashes at ground floor. A 2-light casement appears in the plinth at basement level. The return has a stone ovolo-mould cornice, blocking and coped parapet. To the right, in a low brick section, is a heavily weatherworn 3-light stone-mullioned casement with louvres, imported from elsewhere.

The left return comprises 2 sections: a rendered wall in 2 storeys with cellar, 3-windowed, featuring 12-pane sashes at first floor above a part-glazed door with 3-pane transom-light on sandstone steps, with 3 sashes at ground floor. The rightmost sash at each level is painted in to a blocked recess. A plank door is central to the basement. The return has matching cornice and blocking. To the left extends a 3-storey brick wing, connected via a small brick link with quadrant corner. The link has a 12-pane sash above a plank door. The wing displays 16-pane sashes to the second floor, 12-pane sashes at various levels, and three 12-pane sashes above a large glazed segmental-headed opening at ground level, with two 3-light casements also to segmental heads. The narrow end of the wing has 16-pane sashes at first and second floors. The back of the main block has 16-pane sashes. All roofs are hipped slate behind parapets; the main block roof incorporates a central valley or flat section. The front block has 3 ridge stacks, the wing a central ridge stack.

Interior

The interior was inspected at ground floor level only. The hall with flanking rooms features good flat plaster cornices, 6-panel mahogany doors in pilaster surrounds with rosettes, and 19th-century plank floors. The room to the left contains a recessed elliptical-headed panel. The doorcase in the right room has a lofty flat pediment. The staircase, accessed through an elliptical arch to the right of the hall, is an open well with stick balustrade and wreathed mahogany handrail.

The house is commonly dated to 1812 based on the rainwater head date, which likely refers to the wing and remodelling work. However, the exterior detailing of the long sides suggests a date of approximately 1740-1780.