Springhill House, Birgham

Springhill House, Birgham

Springhill House is a classical villa of late 18th-century date, substantially altered and extended over subsequent centuries. The main house is a 2-storey rectangular block with basement, comprising three bays. It is finished in coursed cream sandstone ashlar to the front elevation, with coursed and droved cream sandstone to the sides and rear, and coursed and tooled sandstone to the basement. Ashlar dressings, rusticated quoins, and a raised band course at the principal floor characterise the front. A raised eaves course with corniced eaves runs around the building. The main openings feature architraved surrounds, and the basement has raised margins to the remaining openings. Venetian lights are fitted with pilaster mullions, and projecting cills are present throughout.

William Leitch oversaw significant alterations in 1816. Substantial additions and alterations followed in the 19th century, including a full-height near L-plan wing at the rear and a 2-storey flat-roofed addition in the rear re-entrant angle. The later wing is finished in squared and snecked stugged cream sandstone, rake-jointed in part, with sandstone ashlar dressings.

The south-east (entrance) elevation features steps oversailing the basement, leading to a centred entrance with a 2-leaf timber panelled door, plate glass fanlight, and an architraved surround with a pedimented doorpiece with engaged columns. A single window is aligned at first-floor level. Venetian windows occupy the ground-floor bays to the outer left and right, with single windows aligned at first-floor level. Basement openings are irregularly disposed.

The south-west (side) elevation of the original house displays single windows at all floors in both bays. A narrow window at ground level appears in the later bay to the left. The full-height, 3-bay wing to the rear is slightly recessed to the left, with bipartite windows at all floors in the bay to the right. The central bay contains single windows at basement and ground floors, with a bipartite window aligned at first-floor level. The outer left bay has single windows at all floors.

The north-west (rear) elevation of the original house contains a single window at all floors in the outer left bay and a Venetian stair window (possibly) at the centre. A 2-storey flat-roofed addition obscures the floors below. The projecting wing to the right features single windows at all floors in the central bay, with a single window offset to the left of centre at ground level and a boarded timber opening at basement level in the outer left bay.

The north-east (side) elevation of the original house has single windows at all floors in both bays. A 2-storey flat-roofed addition is recessed to the right with a centred single window at upper-floor level. The full-height wing set behind displays a single window at first-floor level in the left bay, with a bipartite basement window to the right and single windows aligned at ground and first-floor levels. A full-height wing advanced to the outer right contains centred single windows at all floors.

The windows are predominantly fitted with 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case format, though some 4-pane, 10-pane, and 20-pane glazing is present. Various rooflights are scattered across the roof structure. The roof is covered in grey slate with a piended profile. Corniced sandstone ridge and wallhead stacks are present, together with various circular cans. Rainwater goods have been replaced.

The interior was not inspected at the time of listing (1998).

To the west of the house stands a mono-pitched lectern dovecot, constructed of squared sandstone rubble to the front with harl-pointed rubble to the sides and rear. Rubble quoins are present, along with a continuous alighting ledge and rat course. The south-east (entrance) elevation has a square-headed door opening at its centre. The structure is roofless, with raised skews. The interior retains some timber nesting boxes.

To the south-west of the house is a roofless rectangular-plan rubble structure enclosing a well, finished in harl-pointed sandstone rubble with tooled rubble dressings. The south (entrance) elevation features a square-headed opening at the centre. The north (rear) elevation contains a small square-headed window opening at its centre, above which is inscribed a plaque reading 'St Anne's Well, Spring Found 6th June 1859'. The interior contained a wheel in place as of 1998.

Flanking the entrance to the north are coped sandstone rubble quadrant walls. Square-plan coursed sandstone gatepiers with pyramidal caps stand at the entrance, together with 2-leaf spearheaded iron gates.