Stables, Wormington Grange

Stables and a coach house, now used as storage, a workshop, and living accommodation, were built between 1826 and 1827 by H. Hakewill for J.Gist. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar, with darker stone to the plinth; Sussex bond brickwork to the rear of the wings, with stone dressings; and a Welsh slate roof with wide projecting eaves. It has a U-shaped plan encompassing three sides of a courtyard, with a projection to the rear of the central block housing a harness room and accommodation. The style is Picturesque Classical.

The building is one storey with an attic, with lower wings flanking the courtyard and a two-storey central block. The central elevation features a 1:3:1 window arrangement. It has moulded architraves to the semi-circular tripartite windows flanking a pedimented central block. The central block has a flat-arched throughway, with impost bands continuing as an upper plat band. The first floor has a 3/6-pane sash window flanked by fifteen-pane blind windows with flanking pilasters, which rise to meet the band beneath the pediment. The pediment is surmounted by a square timber turret (containing a clock) with blind circular dials on each face and a pyramidal lead roof with a weathervane. The outer wings flanking the courtyard each have vents set beneath two similar semi-circular arched windows, flanking a stable door with an overlight set in a moulded architrave, and two sets of double doors.

Inside, loose boxes with boarded divisions, iron bars, and cast-iron hay racks survive in the left-hand half of the stables. There is a complete rear tack room with harness pegs and a simple stone fireplace with a glazed cupboard above. To the right of the through-entry are living quarters for stable hands, with match-boarded panelling, a stick-baluster staircase, and a simple classical fireplace; fireplaces are also present on the first floor. A significant feature of the interior is the early fire-proof construction, with cast-iron columns supporting iron beams, with brick jack arches and a stone slate floor over to the attic. Arched brick diaphragm walls flank the central bay. This section has a softwood queen-post roof with wrought-iron ties.

The stables are considered a fine composition of significant constructional interest, complementing the main house (listed separately), which Hakewill also remodelled for Gist.