Manor House

Manor House, dating from the early 18th century, was originally built for the Gostelowe family. It was enlarged in the mid-19th century and again around 1936 by Oliver Hill. The house is constructed of ironstone ashlar with limestone quoins and dressings, and has a stone slate roof and stone stacks. Originally a double-depth plan, the house was later extended to the rear, creating a rectangular plan with a small courtyard.

The south front, the original entrance, features two storeys and a cellar, with five bays. The central three bays project forward under a large open segmental pediment incorporating an urn. The central doorway, approached by four semi-circular stone steps, has an eared architrave framed by Ionic columns, a pulvinated frieze, and a scroll pediment enclosing an oval cartouche bearing the coat of arms of Rebecca Orelebar, who married Richard Gostelowe in 1696. A modern glazed door replaces the original. The ground floor windows on either side have moulded stone frames and eight-pane sashes. First-floor windows have similar frames and fifteen-pane sashes. A 20th-century bay window is located in the outer bay to the left, and an eight-pane sash window is in the right outer bay. The outer bays of the first floor have a moulded stone entablature. The roof is hipped.

The west side, now the main entrance, was remodelled in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has two storeys and three bays, featuring a central stone porch with a straight parapet and an entrance framed by a moulded segmental arch with a keystone. Double-glazed doors with side lights and a fanlight lead to an inner doorway of similar design. 19th-century windows with segmental stone heads and sashes with side lights are on the outer side, and similar windows are on the first floor. A wing to the left, dating to the 19th century, is two storeys high with three bays and a hipped roof. It has sash windows with segmental heads on the ground floor, and a bay window in the second bay from the right. The first-floor windows have sash windows topped with triangular pediments.

The east front, with two storeys and five bays, has a central two-storey bay window flanked by windows with moulded stone frames and sixteen-pane sashes. A 20th-century extension to the right is two storeys high with four bays.

The interior was remodelled around 1936 by Oliver Hill, with the hall enlarged to incorporate a room on the left, and the introduction of scagliola columns framing the approach to the staircase. The early 18th-century staircase features twisted balusters and carved tread ends. The drawing room on the right retains early 18th-century bolection moulded panelling and a bolection moulded stone fireplace. Double-panelled doors lead to a study, which also has bolection panelling. The smoking room, located to the left of the hall, has 20th-century panelling and fireplaces. The present dining room occupies the space of the original kitchen. The gardens were laid out around 1936 by Oliver Hill. The Manor was purchased from the Kirton family around 1685 by Thomas Gostelowe of Wardington, who died in 1702. He was succeeded by his son Richard Gostelowe, who married Rebecca Orlebar in 1696; their son, also Richard, sold the estate in 1723-4. The house operated as a preparatory school for Eton from 1854 to 1882. The original Manor House, damaged in the Civil War, was located west of the church.