Liscombe House And Wall With Pavilion To South Of West Wing

Liscombe House is a country house of probable mid-17th-century date, altered in the late 17th century and late 18th century, built for the Lovett family. The building is constructed of English bond brick with a slate roof to the north elevation and tiled pitches to the north and west wings; the east wing retains old tiles. Brick chimneys are present throughout.

The house is arranged in ranges around three sides of a courtyard. The east range functions as a service wing with a central gateway and stables to the south.

The north and west wings were altered in the picturesque Gothic manner in 1769 and were originally roughcast. The building is two storeys throughout. The north front features a castellated parapet, raised in the form of a pediment over three centre bays. The front comprises eleven bays in total. The end bays are advanced with flanking round turrets, whilst the three centre bays are also advanced but feature square turrets instead. The turrets have plinths, band courses and blind arrow slits. Barred sash windows are set in heavily moulded white-painted stone architrave surrounds, some with segmental brick relieving arches. Altered doorways sit between the end bays: the left entry is blocked and now has a small wooden casement; the right entry has a 20th-century six-panelled door in a 20th-century stone architrave with a pulvinated frieze and pediment, and a small sash window above. Small round windows to both floors are positioned between bays 6 and 7.

The east return wall features a castellated porch with pointed arched doorways, a three-light triple-pointed leaded window, and two circular windows to the first floor.

The west front has seven bays with minimal giant pilasters and a band course to the central section. The two outer bays on each side have ogee gables with moulded copings, whilst the three centre bays have a battlemented parapet altered to crow-stepped gables. Barred sash windows feature wooden hoods. A wide half-glazed door in the fifth bay is set within a wooden surround of Doric pilasters and plain entablature.

Groups of 17th-century square brick chimney shafts set diagonally are positioned four between bays 2 and 3, and two between bays 4 and 5. A large projecting stack on the right side wall has six shafts—round, square and octagonal—with moulded neckings, set on a moulded entablature base.

A battlemented wall to the right has a pointed archway and wrought iron gate leading to a small square-plan pavilion with battlements, round openings, a blind arch to the east and a flush panelled door to the south.

The courtyard elevations have sash windows. The entry to the west wing has a 17th-century white-painted shouldered stone architrave surround with pulvinated frieze, cornice and wide half-glazed door. Extensions of circa 1920 in matching style are located in the angle between the north and west wings. Both wings have lead rainwater heads, some re-sited, dated 1639, 1665, 1670 and 1774.

The east range has a moulded eaves cornice with dentils and three bays on each side of the central gateway. The north part of the range has two storeys of sash windows and a re-sited 17th-century two-light stone mullion window, moulded and painted, in a blocked arch to the right of the east side. Late 17th-century stable bays are of one storey and attic, with the west side featuring three blocked oeil-de-boeuf windows. The east side has three wooden mullion and transom windows with barred casements, two board doors in painted stone architrave frames with keyblocks, and two hipped semi-dormers with hayloft door and sash window.

The central mid-17th-century gateway has an arch with a raised brick keyblock, a three-light barred casement above, stepped gables and flanking pairs of pilasters with arched niches and raised brick panels between. The east side of the gateway retains some capitals and lengths of entablature above the pilasters; the west side has been altered.

The interior features 17th and early 18th-century style panelling, fireplaces and staircase, all installed circa 1920, which may incorporate fragments and preserve the plan of the older building.