Cricket House

Cricket House is a large country house with origins dating back to the 14th century, but it was rebuilt for Sir Alexander Hood between 1786 and 1807 under the architect Sir John Soane. The house underwent significant modifications at the end of the 19th century. It is constructed of Ham stone ashlar and features hipped Welsh slate roofs, some of which are behind low parapets, along with stone chimney stacks.

The north elevation has two storeys with an attic and consists of five bays, with the first and fifth bays projecting slightly. It has a plinth, cornice, and parapets, with sash windows that include large 4+12+4 pane units down to the floor in the outer ground floor bays, set under segmental-arched heads. The second and fourth bays have 15-pane sashes that nearly reach the floor, while the first floor features 12-pane sashes in chased architrave surrounds, with two windows in bay five and a lower-set window in bay one, along with a 9-pane sash in the attic above. An open portico with pairs of Tuscan columns and a balustraded parapet spans bays two to four, which also have a taller roof parapet adorned with incised decoration and two narrow attic windows. There is a single-storey extension on the east side.

The west elevation has six bays, with bays two to five projecting and featuring a colonnaded pergola across these bays, while the overall details remain similar. The south elevation mirrors this with five bays. The late 19th-century alterations removed much of Soane's internal work, although some elements survive on the first floor. The staircase is a 20th-century addition in the style of Soane, while other decorations are executed in a mid-18th-century style. The interior has not been fully seen.