Pelham House and wall to south

TQ 4110 SW and SE TQ 4109 NW and NE 9/355, 10/355, 14/355 and 15/355

LEWES ST ANDREW'S LANE (west side) Pelham House and wall to south

25.2.52

GV II* House. C16, enlarged in mid C18 and early C19. Red brick, partly rendered. Moulded wooden eaves cornice to hipped slate roofs with four central brick stacks, paired behind main ridge. Central flat-headed dormer to north and three to east.

North front: U-plan. Two storeys and attics. Regular seven window front, with three windows in deep narrow central rendered recess with large central arched staircase in central. Glazing bar sashes. Recess filled on ground floor with central doorway. Panelled door with arched reveals, wreathed and radiating fanlight and moulded architrave with flat cornice hood and pulvinated frieze over. Large cast-iron lamp on curving brackets over. Various extensions on ground floor in front of right wing and large C20 brick extensions to right side.

East front: rendered to right and red brick to left with moulded stone cornice to left only. Slight projection to left of centre and deep projecting wing at extreme left. Four bays with one bay to left of break. Blank end to wing.

South front: two storeys and attic with deep moulded cornice. Five window front with deeply projecting wings and shallow canted projections in centre and in re-entrant angles with wings. Glazing bar sashes in moulded surrounds, in centre of first floor slightly deeper, in outer bays of ground floor with triangular pediments over. Wide arched stuccoed panels on ground floor of canted projections to left and right of centre, containing tripartite French sashes. Central entrance with glazed doors in arched surround with fanlight, all in moulded frame with triangular pediment over. Entrances also in re-entrant angles of projecting wings.

Interior: staircase - single flight with quarter-turn at foot. Plain balusters, cast-iron newel-posts and wooden handrail with wreath at foot of staircase. Hall - double columns dividing hall from vestibule. Committee Room 3 - (The Old Dining Room). Carved panelling of circa 1579. Wood panelling with fluted Corinthian pilasters, rather low, to cornice with carved heads and herms over. Stone chimney-piece of C18 with double arcaded wooden overmantel with fan lunettes and the arms of the brothers Henry and George Goring.

George Goring, for whom the house was built, later had Danny at Hassocks built for him and it is conceivable that Pelham House was an earlier work of the same bricklayer. It was the headquarters of East Sussex County Council until 1968.

Wall 30 yards long and 12 feet high extends to south from south east corner of east front. Flint with red brick bands and buttresses and brick, flint and stone coping.

Listing NGR: TQ4147810005