Description

WHITCHURCH URBAN C.P. DODINGTON (south-west
SJ 5441
side)
8/60 No. 21 (Formerly listed
1.5.51 as Mansion House)
GV II*

House, latterly shop and petrol station, now supermarket. Circa 1725.
Red brick with painted stone dressings. C20 flat roofs. 3 storeys
with one-storey wings. Stone plinth, chamfered quoins, stone frieze and dentil
cornice, central one-bay triangular pediment, and parapet with panelled
dies at each end and stone coping. 2:1:2 bays, with central break; 4-pane
sashes (C18 glazing bars removed and C20 casements inserted in second floor)
with stone cills and rusticated stone lintels with raised keystones. Central
first-floor window with cill on 2 shaped brackets, lugged moulded architrave,
frieze and moulded cornice, and central second-floor window with cill on 2
shaped brackets, shouldered moulded architrave with shaped top and raised
keystone. Pair of large late C19 plate-glass shop-fronts, each with moulded
surrounds, fascia and brackets to cornice. Central C18 door with raised and
fielded panels (4 rectangular upper panels and 4 triangular-shaped lower
panels forming Saint Andrew's cross below, rectangular overlight with
geometrical-pattern glazing bars, and stone doorcase with lugged moulded
architrave, panelled pilaster strips, and carved consoles supporting triangular
pediment, with broken-back centre. Set back one-storey wings, each with
plinth and coped parapet. Blocked window in right-hand wing has rusticated
segmental stone lintel with raised keystone. Right-hand return front with
blocked segmental-headed doorway and blind window. Left-hand wing altered,
probably in the late C19 or early C20, with carriage archway consisting of
moulded architrave, frieze with half-H panel and moulded cornice. Line of
former pitched roof to wings and evidence of higher front wall is visible
of sides of main block. Rear: plinth, and plat band between ground and
first floors. Segmental-headed windows, now C20 casements. Interior:
ground-floor not fully inspected but front rooms largely gutted for shop
use. Staircase hall to rear. C18 three-flight square well oak staircase
with landings, open string with carved scrolled brackets, moulded nosings,
column-on-vase balusters (3 per tread), ramped moulded handrail, and
columnular landing newels. Raised and fielded dado panelling with panelled
dies and ramps. 2 sides of balustrading, landing balus-
trade, and wreathed foot newel (curtail only survives) had been removed
at time of survey (November 1986). Venetian window lighting staircase hall,
with scrolled brackets supporting cill, panelled antae, triglyph frieze,
moulded cornice, architrave to centre light, and glazing bar sashes, that to
centre with intersecting Gothick tracery. Enriched plaster ceiling above
staircase with moulded dentil cornice, large panel with Greek key ornament
and quadrant corners with fleurons, and central ornamental rose (much
decayed at time of survey). First-floor lobby with moulded dentil plaster
cornice. Wide elliptical archway consisting of panelled antae with
moulded capitals, and arch with panelled soffit, moulded architrave and
shaped keystone. Doorway into central first-floor front room with lugged
moulded architrave, moulded frieze with central panel, and broken triangular
pediment. Room with moulded cornice. Left-hand first-floor front room:
enriched moulded plaster cornice. Central depressed-arched bed recess
with surround consisting of Fluted pilasters, and moulded architrave and
keystone. Left-hand front room also with moulded plaster cornice. C18
dog-leg oak staircase from first-floor to attic with landing, open
string with cut brackets, column-on-vase balusters (2 per tread), moulded
handrail, and columnular foot newel. Doors throughout with 6 raised and
fielded panels, panelled reveals and moulded architraves. Windows with
moulded architraves and panelled shutters. All first-floor fireplaces have
now been removed but the marks left on the walls suggest they consisted of a
lugged moulded architrave with frieze and cornice. Old illustrations of this
house show that the wings were formerly of 2 storeys with coped parapets.
Despite the degree of alteration this is still a fine example of an early C18
house and retains much of its sumptuous fittings and ornament Whit church
Area Archaeological Group, Whitchurch Remembered, ill. 51.

Listing NGR: SJ5430041256

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17540682

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)