Top Meadow

Top Meadow is a large house built in 1912 by W.F.C. Holden, with later additions in 1922 and 1935. It served as the home of G.K. Chesterton from 1922 to 1936. The house is constructed of red brick with a machine tile roof. It is a single storey plus attic, with two chimneys featuring paired stacks arranged diagonally on square bases. One chimney stands above and behind a gabled bay with flanking hipped roofs, which provide a fireplace inside. Curved dormer windows with leaded lights are positioned either side of this chimney, creating an asymmetrical appearance. To the right is a front door and a dormer window with a hipped roof. A gabled addition was built in 1922; its ground floor is brick, while the first floor and attic are of imitation timber framing. A less architecturally significant library was added to the rear in 1935.