Shardeloes

Shardeloes is a large manor house constructed between 1758 and 1766 by William Drake, on the site of an earlier building. The architects involved were Stiff Leadbetter, who designed the portico and interior decoration, and Robert Adam. From 1773, James Wyatt was also employed. The exterior is rendered with painted cement, featuring stone dressings. The roof is Westmoreland slate with a balustraded parapet and a modillion cornice. Later, box dormers were added to the north-west and south-west slopes. The house is two storeys plus an attic.

The north-east elevation has nine bays, dominated by a central three-bay Portland stone portico with Corinthian columns and pilasters, a modillion cornice, and a pediment. The outer bays of this elevation project slightly, each with a pedimented ground-floor window set within a semi-circular headed arched recess. A pedimented doorway is centrally positioned; other ground-floor windows have cornices. The first floor features square windows with eared and shouldered architraves. The south-east elevation has seven bays, with a centrally positioned, pedimented doorway, and outer bay window treatment mirroring the north-east elevation. The south-west elevation is characterized by more closely spaced fenestration.

The interior includes a high-quality Entrance Hall, a large room to the north, a dining room, a library, and a bedroom, all decorated by Robert Adam (the bedroom perhaps by Wyatt). Rebecca created the upper paintings in the library. The landscape, designed by Humphry Repton around 1790, is documented in his ‘Red Book’.