Charleton House

Charleton House is a large country house, with its original core dating to 1759, and subsequent additions and alterations spanning the 18th and 20th centuries. A two-story basement and attic additions from 1905 complete the building. The five-window south front is constructed of ashlar and features prominent quoins, a rich, pedimented Roman Doric column doorpiece set back, and round-headed windows inserted between the ground floor windows to create a semi-Venetian effect.

A west wing, likely built around 1803, is three stories high (the ground floor aligning with the main house's basement level) and features a central, advanced three-window section with tripartite windows, complemented by a smaller, set-back east wing of similar style and date. Significant alterations and additions were made by William Burn between 1832 and 1833, including a single-story and basement addition to the south-east with a canted bay.

A top-lit saloon was inserted between the wings, and a new single-story north front was added in 1905 by Sir Robert Lorimer, though the design was subsequently modified by Col Charles Anstruther, who added an upper floor with busts, roundels, and a balustrade.

The interior contains notable work, including an unusual collection of decorative items, such as a chimneypiece acquired from Blumenthal in the saloon. The drawing room and old entrance hall feature significant mid-18th century detailing, with the entrance hall showcasing trompe d'oeil decoration. Other interiors were remodelled by Lorimer, and a 17th-century Italian aedicule and panelling from Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire, have been incorporated into the south-west room.

A collection of architectural drawings is held within the house, including a possible scheme by Wm Adam, a large unsigned classical scheme of 1802 for the house and stables, a neo-Greek scheme by Burn from 1818, Burn's plans from 1832-3, an unexecuted Bryce scheme from 1855, and various proposals relating to the work carried out from 1905 onwards.