Manor House

Creslow Manor House

This house, built circa 1330 with alterations around 1600 and in the mid-20th century, is constructed of coursed rubble limestone with some patching in brick and Bath stone, and has old tile roofs.

The building comprises a hall range with flanking brick chimneys (the southern one dating to the 17th century, the northern to the 19th century), a north range that was originally an open hall and is now partitioned with a taller stairwell of around 1600 inserted into the south-west corner, and a taller cross wing to the south with an undercroft at its east end, a tower attached to the south-west, and a lower wing projecting southward at the east end. A 20th-century single-storey infill structure stands between this wing and the tower.

The hall range is now mostly of one storey with an attic and features a tall steeply-pitched roof broken by a stairwell of 2½ storeys with a restored crow-stepped gable to the front. The façade is divided into three bays. The left bay contains a 20th-century 3-light casement with a moulded 4-centred arch in the first floor gable, and a wide 16th to 17th-century studded door with 15 panels and a restored moulded frame in a lean-to porch. The centre bay has a 20th-century 3-light casement in a shallow lean-to and a 4-light casement in a gabled dormer; the stairwell features two 16th to 17th-century 2-light casements with internally moulded wooden mullions, a 20th-century 2-light casement above, and a 20th-century door. The cross wing projects slightly to the right with a restored crow-stepped gable, is 2½ storeys tall, has altered windows, and includes a small brick lean-to pantry. A 3-storey tower to the far right retains most of its 14th-century detail including a restored parapet, a corbel table carved with fleurons, a carved stone gargoyle, and an octagonal stair turret with slit windows. The tower's front elevation has two small lancets to the ground floor, a 2-light window with a stone mullion and a 16th to 17th-century hood-mould to the first floor, and a restored window with a stone mullion and transom above. The rear of the tower features a fine 2-light traceried window with a 2-centred head. All windows have restored leading. The garden front of the house displays similar windows, some with restored 4-centred heads, and includes a small lean-to in the angle between wings with a 2-centred chamfered stone arch at the entrance to the undercroft. Carved fragments of medieval masonry are reset into the walls of the hall range.

The interior contains a small stone tierceron-vaulted undercroft with chamfered ribs and five bosses finely carved with foliage; the centre boss is additionally carved with heads. The hall range, now of three bays but probably once four, retains original trusses with upper base crucks, heavy moulded arched braces to cambered tie beams, and curved braces to cambered collars. The intermediate upper trusses also have curved braces to collars. Moulded wind-braces are present to moulded lower purlins, with arched wind-braces above. Part of the roof features a collar purlin, and one truss has a braced post between the collar and ridge. A floor inserted around 1600 rests on stop-chamfered cross beams, with the ground floor ceiling featuring two moulded plaster pendants set diagonally. A large old 2-panelled door leads to the entrance lobby. A small room to the centre front of the hall range contains re-sited early 17th-century panelling, now painted. A fine early 17th-century staircase has turned balusters, a moulded handrail, chamfered newel posts with ball finials, and a string carved with gadrooning. Finely moulded and stopped wooden doorcases are present throughout. The original great chamber, now partitioned, occupies the first floor of the cross wing and features a 16th to 17th-century moulded plaster ceiling with large coffers and a wooden fireplace with a segmental arch and panelled overmantel of similar date. The second floor of the cross-wing served as a long gallery and retains in part a 16th to 17th-century ceiling with thin plaster ribs forming a lozenge pattern. The tower contains moulded reveals to the ground floor windows, an arched doorway to the east, an elaborately moulded spine beam to the first floor ceiling, and an upper room with an old door and a moulded arched recess.