Blanerne

Blanerne

An 18th-century house, rebuilt in 1897 with later additions and alterations. The building is a two-storey structure with basement, arranged as a nine-bay gabled house with bays grouped 2-1-3-1-2. It follows a near H-plan configuration, with a flat-roofed porch at the centre, a gabled wing extended to the outer right, and a later flat-roofed single-storey addition to the outer left.

The exterior is constructed of harl-pointed tooled cream sandstone rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings, partly droved. Moulded eaves courses run along the sides and rear. The quoins are tooled and stugged in part, with stugged long and short surrounds to raised margins. Flush cills are used throughout. The roof is grey slate with stone-coped skews and rolled skewputts bearing embossed floral motifs at the rear. Ridge, wallhead and apex stacks are predominantly rendered with coped and corniced details and octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

The northwest entrance elevation features a wide balustraded stone stair at the centre, oversailing the basement. A flat-roofed three-bay porch is centred at ground level with an advanced central entrance comprising a two-leaf timber panelled and dentilled door, architraved surround, and a coat-of-arms in the surmounting panel. This is flanked by engaged polygonal columns on panelled plinths. Single windows occupy the recessed flanking bays beneath a continuous cornice and blocking course. Above stands a three-bay kneelered gable with a round-arched window at the centre, square-headed windows to right and left, and a corbelled apex stack. Basement windows flank the entrance, with large windows aligned at ground level and small gabled windows breaking the eaves at first floor. A full-height two-bay gabled wing, slightly advanced to the outer left, is fully fenestrated.

The southwest side elevation comprises five bays at ground level. A full-height gabled bay, advanced to the outer left, features a bipartite window at basement, a large bipartite window at ground floor, and a bipartite window breaking the eaves at first floor, with a blind rectangular panel in the kneelered gablehead. A window at basement appears in the subsequent bay to the right. The remaining four bays to the right contain windows at all floors, with upper gabled windows breaking the eaves and blocked basement openings in two bays to the outer right.

The southeast rear elevation is arranged in seven bays, grouped 1-5-1. The central five-bay block is recessed with small basement windows, windows at ground level in all bays, and a round-arched window in a corbelled gablehead breaking the eaves at the centre, with a corniced apex stack. Gabled windows breaking the eaves appear in the remaining bays to left and right. Full-height gabled wings advanced to the outer left and right each contain two single windows at basement, large tripartite windows centred at ground, and windows centred at first floor (blocked and beneath the eaves course to the left; breaking the eaves course to the right), with blind panels in the gableheads and surmounting apex stacks. A flat-roofed single-storey four-bay block is recessed to the outer right.

The northeast side elevation features a later single-storey block with a railed enclosure to the front projecting at basement level. Behind this stands a five-bay block with various predominantly blocked square-headed openings and a round-arched window breaking the eaves at the centre. A projecting three-bay wing recessed to the outer right contains single and bipartite windows at basement, single windows in all bays at ground with a narrow opening to the outer left, and a gabled bipartite window centred above, breaking the eaves.

Windows throughout are timber sash and case with 4-, 8- and 12-pane glazing. Small rooflights appear at the rear.

The interior was refurbished in the late 20th century. The entrance hall features modern floor covering with walls that are partly panelled and partly plain painted. A decorative cornice with prominent dentils runs along the walls. Timber panelled doors are found throughout the house, some with pilastered and corniced surrounds, others with shouldered window surrounds. Reception rooms have boarded timber floors and various fireplaces, including one in the dining room dated 1897. Timber dado panelling appears in parts of these rooms, which also feature decorative cornices and some panelled ceilings. The main dogleg stair comprises balustered uprights with square-plan panelled timber newels bearing carved finials, and a panelled dado lining the stairwell. First-floor bedrooms have plain plasterwork. An extensive basement contains timber panelled doors, service bells, and a dumb waiter, with a cellar present.

Flanking the main entrance to the east are square-plan gatepiers of coursed and tooled cream sandstone with corniced pyramidal caps. The gates are missing. Foliage obscures the northern pier.