Callert House

Callert House

Callert House is a classical mansion built around 1800, substantially enlarged and altered around 1900 in the Arts and Crafts manner. The house sits on a site formerly occupied by a dwelling owned by Cameron of Fassifern, and became connected to the Fairfax-Lucy family of Charlecote, Oxfordshire through marriage in the late 19th century.

The original house is a two-storey, five-bay symmetrical composition in squared grey granite with contrasting pinnings and polished ashlar dressings. Rectangular blocks set back as wings occupy the north-east and north-west corners, with two-bay elevations to the south and a three-bay rear elevation to the north featuring centre doors. The rear elevation is of harl-pointed rubble. The front is approached via a Roman Doric portico with three shallow steps leading to a double-leaf panelled door dating from around 1900. All front windows are hoodmoulded with 12-pane glazing and moulded architraves. The north-west wing contains one pair of doubled windows on both ground and first floors, while the east gable has one ground floor and one first floor blind window.

The building is detailed with a polished ashlar base course and long-short quoins, a moulded eaves cornice with blocking course, coped panelled end stacks, and a piended platform slate roof.

The circa 1900 additions are extensive and fundamentally alter the building's composition. A large two-storey harled wing extends to the south-east, featuring an octagonal angle tower and a tall bipartite window in the centre of its front elevation, with a series of small windows below the eaves on the south and west sides. A single octagonal tower projects at the corner of the south-west wing. Substantial extensions to the rear include a long two-storey wing projecting from the north-west, with further extensions that block the former centre doors of the early rear wings and link sections to enclose a small rear court. Two canted bay windows of full height rise at the north-west. Glazing throughout the additions varies: the south side features multi-pane upper sashes, while rear windows are predominantly two-pane. Assorted chimneys include two unusual gablet apex stacks to the rear. All extensions are roofed in slate.

The interior of the main house retains significant character. The ground floor entrance hall and room to the east have been linked to form a single hall with a vestigial screens passage, "Tudor" panelling, and a richly decorated plaster ceiling dating from the late 19th century. Some genuine 16th- and 17th-century panelling (re-set) flanks a chimney piece surmounted by an Elizabethan-style copy family portrait of the Fairfax-Lucy family. The chimney piece itself is of ashlar with carved spandrels. The south-west dining room contains a circa 1900 chimney piece incorporating a halved sedan chair. The centre stair features "Tudor" balusters and newels with a panelled stairwell and leaded and stained-glass stair window. The stair continues to the attic floor with original cast-iron balusters displaying intertwined detailing.

First-floor rooms display heavy plaster ceilings with classical egg-and-dart, anthemion, and palmette motifs. Doors are heavily grained and panelled with moulded and corniced door cases.

The circa 1900 additions feature Arts and Crafts decoration throughout. The principal room in the south-east wing rises through two storeys and is half-panelled with a massive white ashlar "inglenook" chimney piece. This chimney piece is flanked by engaged columns with a plaited design and capitals serving as lamp stands, decorated with weaving motifs and heraldic beasts in the spandrels, all masking an inner granite chimney piece. The principal first-floor bedroom contains a chimney piece with a Dutch tiled surround flanked by carved wooden panels, small box seats, and further carved heraldic insignia.

The house is currently empty and in poor condition, with the circa 1900 additions deteriorating particularly badly.