Stowford House

Stowford House is a former manor house, now divided into three dwellings. The original core dates to the 16th century, with significant rebuilding and remodelling occurring in the 18th century. The house is constructed of stone rubble, with some rendered and ashlar sections, and has slate roofs. The original layout was H-shaped, with the oldest parts to the west and north. These sections feature a large external chimney stack on the north side and, within the courtyard, some hollow-chamfered stone mullion windows with dripstones. Some windows and doorways exhibit roll moulding, including one doorway with a three-centred arch, and another with a round arch featuring carved keystones. The west side has an 18th-century three-storey, three-bay rendered facade with sash windows complete with glazing bars and a keystone. A large stone chimney stack, with arcaded sides, crenellations above, and a finial cap, sits above the west wing. There's also a moulded stone stack at the north gable end. A remodelled south wing presents a tall, 18th-century three-storey, three-bay facade, partly of ashlar, with a rendered parapet and architraves to the sash windows, which retain their glazing bars. A wide, glazed central porch features pilasters and an entablature. The left (west) return is bowed over three floors, with three sashes on each level. A two-storey wing extends eastwards, incorporating a doorway that probably originally served as a gateway to the courtyard, and now has a reset 16th-century four-centred moulded stone arch. Interior features of the west wing include a large granite fireplace with a four-centred arch and roll moulding, a blocked stone mullion window, and stone doorways with moulded or chamfered four-centred arches. A first-floor room has early 18th-century panelling and a 16th-century moulded chimneypiece. An adjoining room has a granite 16th-century moulded chimneypiece with an ogee head, another moulded granite chimneypiece is in the next room, and there is an 18th-century staircase. The south wing has an early 19th-century staircase. The house is notable as the birthplace of Thomas Williams (died 1566), Speaker of the House of Commons in 1563, and the home of John Prideaux, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford, and Bishop of Worcester (1578–1650).