Wiston House

Wiston House, now also known as Wilton Park European Discussion Centre, is a large mansion with a complex history, originally built around 1576 by Sir Thomas Shirley the elder. Much of the original house was demolished between 1780 and 1830, with the remaining portion forming an E-shaped block on the east front. The building is constructed of ashlar.

The central portion of the east front has five windows and a two-storey porch. The ground floor of the porch is flanked by twin Doric pilasters and features a triglyph frieze above a round-headed arch. The storey above the doorway is flanked by twin Ionic pilasters and contains a window with two tiers of five lights. A cornice and pediment, displaying a female figure at its apex, surmounts this. Tall windows are situated on either side of the porch; the outer windows are bay windows with eight lights per tier, while the inner windows are flush with six lights per tier. A cornice runs above the ground floor. The first floor features four windows, each with two tiers of four lights, one of which is blocked, and has cornices above. A cornice and parapet extend over the centre portion, flanked by large voluted consoles. The projecting wings are slightly lower than the centre and also of two storeys. Each wing has three windows facing inwards, also with two tiers of five lights each and cornices above. Cornices and parapets feature on the inner sides of the wings, while their ends have a single bay window on both floors, containing two tiers of eight lights each, topped with a shaped gable and finials. All windows have stone mullions and transoms with diamond-shaped or small square leaded panes.

While some work by James Gibbs was undertaken, little of it survives, with a possible exception of some plasterwork in the Great Hall. The house was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by Edward Blore in the early 19th century, and the south, west, and north fronts date from this period, resulting in the current L-shaped layout. The south front, overlooking the garden, is two storeys with an attic, featuring eight windows, five projecting bays, three shaped gables, and two dormers. A conservatory from the early 19th century is located at the end of this wing. The west front is two storeys with six windows and four bays, topped by a pierced parapet with finials above the bays and a shaped gable to one side. A carved overmantel, depicting six figures in compartments with a central cartouche, frieze, panel, and finial, is preserved on the north wall of the west wing, salvaged from the demolished 16th-century section of the house. The interior primarily reflects Blore’s rebuilding, although the dining room retains panelling dated 1576.