Manor Park Country House

Manor Park Country House is a villa dating back to the 18th century, with alterations and additions made in later centuries. The house is constructed of painted stucco with concrete tiles to its hipped, deep-eaved roofs, and has stucco chimneys, some of which have been removed. The design is classical, featuring a narrow, three-bay pedimented central section and broader, single-bay wings to the south front. The roofs have flat eaves, but brackets are visible under the central pediment. The windows are small-paned and set within raised, moulded surrounds. A stone plinth runs along the base, and the 12-pane sash windows have stone sills. A stucco band and sill course extend between the windows, with a band of sunk panels filling the space in between. Giant pilasters are incorporated into the outer angles of the building. The central section projects slightly and features a large, altered portico. The four white stone Ionic columns are original, but the capitals are damaged, and the entablature and cornice have been replaced with a 20th-century boxing. Stone steps lead up to the portico, which has stone flags inside, and a 20th-century door with a blank overlight. Below each window is a plaster sunk panel. Rusticated walling is visible on the ground floor. Chimneys remain behind the hips on each side, although two on the front ridge have gone. A large 20th-century addition adjoins the right side.

The left side of the house is five-bay wide, with an Italianate porch tower in the second bay from the right. The right bay mirrors the front elevation, with a sash window on each floor. To the left of the tower is a similar three-window range, with the centre ground floor opening altered to a broad, 20th-century conservatory. An additional upper window has been placed adjacent to the tower. The tower itself comprises three floors; the ground floor has an arched doorway facing south and a 12-pane sash window on the west side. The first floor has a similar 12-pane sash window, and the top floor features a timber cornice aligned with the main eaves and a plain, cambered-headed 12-pane window on each side under bracketed, pyramid roof. A single 20th-century dormer is present. To the left is a plain service range consisting of two two-storey, two-window sections; the first has a hipped roof facing west and hoodmoulds over the windows, while the second is hipped to the north. The stone plinth is original, and much of the glazing is modern.

The entrance hall contains a mid-19th century marble fireplace on the east wall, with egg-and-dart moulding to the cornice. A fluted ceiling rose is centrally positioned within a large, gilded plaster circle decorated with bay leaf motifs. Six-panel doors are featured throughout. Double doors, which have been replaced in the 20th century, open into a large, square stair hall featuring an open-well timber staircase with an iron balustrade, a thin ramped rail scrolled at the foot, and scrolled tread ends. The stair hall’s ceiling is panelled and boarded, with diagonal boarding within the panels, surrounding a circular rooflight. A similar landing rail is present, full width on the south side and set into two elliptical arched openings on the west. The front room to the southeast was not inspected, while the front room to the southwest retains a cornice with rosettes, although the north wall, formerly containing a fireplace, has been opened out to the northwest room beyond. A rear northeast room features embossed ceiling decoration and a cornice with cherubs, dating from around 1900.