Gazebo, Steps, Terraces And Walls To North West Of Merefield House

CREWKERNE

ST4409 EAST STREET 876-1/7/73 (North side) 12/06/50 Gazebo, steps, terraces and walls to north-west of Merefield House (Formerly Listed as: EAST STREET (North side) Gates, railings & walls to grounds & summerhouse to grounds of Merefield House)

GV II*

Gazebo. Early C18. MATERIALS: stucco forward-facing gable, Flemish-bond brick to the rest, with slate roof and brick stack to rear gable end. PLAN: square plan. EXTERIOR: single-storey; 2-window range. A steep Dutch gable with moulded coping, supports a formerly gilded eagle at the apex, and a sun dial to the front. 4 pilasters below a moulded cornice articulate 3 narrow bays; the outer ones have tall windows of 6 rows of 3 panes, in moulded architraves with segmental arches and keystones. To the centre is a lower, flat, moulded hood with a concave front, over a C20 door. INTERIOR: virtually complete early C18. The square coved ceiling has a hemi-spherical dome to the centre with pendant vine leaves and grapes, set in a square moulded frame with oramented spandrels. There is a fine box-cornice over full-height panelling above the dado, plain below, and some original skirting boards. The limestone fireplace has an eared architrave with stone hobs and a C20 free-standing stove in front; above it is one large panel to the top, a narrow horizontal one to the centre, and paired raised panels above the fireplace. This is flanked by shell alcoves with fretted shelves and raised-and-fielded panels to cupboards below. The floor is of limestone squares with small slate squares inset at the corners. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: a long flight of stone steps and terraces lead up to the door; high brick walls with Ham Hill stone coping moulded to the edges, enclose the garden to the south and meet the late C19 wing of Merefield House (qv); these sweep up to join the facade of the gazebo just below the cornice. Fine lead urns stand on each corner to the north, and the lower flights of steps are flanked by 2 pairs of piers with raised and field panels. This is a fine example of a town house gazebo with its associated terraced garden.

Listing NGR: ST4425109860