The Stable Block about 30 Metres North West of Compton Castle

Stable block, built during the 1820s as part of the castle complex by John Finden for John Hunt, with later alterations and additions.

MATERIALS: Ham stone ashlar to the principal, south elevation with stone coping to the gables; roughly coursed Ham stone rubble to the rear elevations. Welsh slate roofs. There is a brick stack to the north central projection.

PLAN: essentially U-plan, with carriage house projections to either end of the south elevation, and a central projection at the centre of the north elevation housing the estate office and boiler house. There is a pre-1887 store added to the north-east, accessed only from the outside.

EXTERIOR: at the centre of the south elevation is a tower containing the entrance which is Tudor-arched, with hollow spandrels beneath a hoodmould; the opening retains its original timber door, with nailed vertical fillets. Above, the original clock is set beneath a hoodmould. The parapet of the tower is castellated. Above the parapet the third stage rises within a reduced plan, with chamfered corners, the parapet to this stage also castellated; this stage has a two-light window with hoodmould to the front and side elevations. The whole is surmounted by a lead pyramidal roof with a weathervane. To either side of the central entrance, a mullioned window with a hoodmould. The carriage houses project to either end of the elevation, having angle buttresses with offsets to the corners, and cross finials to the gables – the eastern finial is broken. The eastern carriage house has two arched openings, with late-C20 doors; in the western carriage house the central pier between the arches has been removed for conversion to a garage. There are two plain windows to the central north projection.

INTERIOR: the central entrance opens to a lobby leading to the rear of the building, dividing the passages giving access to the stables to west and east. There are three stalls to the western range, and four to the east. The stables retain their uniform barred wooden stalling with tongue and groove panels, the gates fitted with decorative strap hinges; to the rear of the stalls are arched niches for hay, fitted with wooden rails. The floor to the passageways is of brick, laid in herringbone pattern; stalls are tiled. The estate office, to the rear, has small-square panelling with a columned doorway. A plasterboard ceiling has been inserted throughout the ground floor of the stable block. Stone steps lead up the tower, which contains the clock mechanism.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the south-east corner of the building is connected to the reading room block of the main house by a rubblestone wall with a lean-to stone-slate roof resting on timber posts. It is thought that this structure has been rebuilt since 1903.

The attached late-C20 garage to the north-west and the metal-framed shelter attached to the west side, are excluded from the Listing.