Astrop House

Astrop House is a house built around 1740 for Sir John Willes, with additions made in 1805 by Sir John Soane for the Reverend W.S. Willes. The house was reduced in size in 1961. It features limestone ashlar stone stacks and has two storeys, a basement, and an attic, with a total of seven bays. The roof is parapetted, and the three central bays project under a pediment. A central stone porch, dating from the 19th century, is framed by Tuscan pilasters and includes a fanlight and six-panel double doors. Sash windows are located on each side of the entrance, framed by architraves with Tuscan pilasters and a moulded entablature. The outer bays to the left and right also have sash windows with eared architraves and alternating segmental and triangular pediments, similar to those on the first floor. A moulded entablature runs along the top, and the 19th-century parapet features filigree stone work. The stone stacks are decorated with Grecian incised ornament.

At the rear, the house has two storeys and an attic, with seven bays and three central bays that project under a pediment. There is a central doorway, which has been converted into a window, featuring a Gibbs surround. The rear also has sash windows with alternating triangular and segmental pediments. Although the interior was not inspected, it is reported to contain an 18th-century staircase and a dining room with four pairs of columns designed by Soane. The wings added by Soane in 1805 were heightened in the 19th century but were demolished in 1961.