Cothelstone Manor

Cothelstone Manor is a Grade II* listed building located in Cothelstone, originally marked incorrectly on the OS map as Cothelstone Farm. The manor dates back to the mid-16th century but was largely demolished in 1646 and then rebuilt between 1855 and 1856. It is constructed from squared coursed red sandstone with white limestone dressings, featuring a tiled roof, coped gabled wings, ashlar stacks, and a large external stack on the left return elevation. The building has a "U"-shaped plan and is two storeys high, with a facade consisting of 1:2:1 bays.

To the right of the entrance in the central block are five-light mullion windows, while the gabled wings have seven-light windows on the ground floor. There is a string course above paired two-light mullions, which are set under hood moulds with blind niches in the gable ends. The central block features a pair of three-light mullions that project through the eaves, topped with gabled sections carrying ball finials on the kneelers, with coronets at the apices similar to those on the gabled wings. All the mullions are of the tripartite baluster type, which is unique to Cothelstone.

The ground floor windows have oval leaded panes, while those above are diamond-shaped. The main block and the inner return walls of the wings are supported by unusual tapering buttresses set on moulded plinths, with carved designs on the imposts. Similar, smaller versions with ball finials and partially twisted shafts flank the four-centred arch entrance, which is surmounted by an elaborate coat of arms. There is a mid-19th century internal porch with an arched doorway to the right, and a rainwater head inscribed with "EJE 1856."

The interior of the manor appears to date from the mid-19th century. After the Civil War, only the left-hand wing and the ground floor of the central block remained. The house was re-roofed and restored by E.J. Esdaile in 1855-6.