Description

TL 22 NE ASTON CHELLS LANE
(north side)

1/17 Chells Manor
(formerly listed under
24.11.66 general)

- II*

Manor house, now house and office. Late C14 or early C15 for the
Wake family (VCH (1912) 144). Wings added to heightened open
hall house in C16 and Cl7. Altered in C19 and C20. Timber frame
on red brick sill. Roughcast on front (S) and W, but frame
exposed with large square panels at rear and E. Steep old red
tile roofs and red brick chimneys. A large H-plan, 2-storeys
house facing S. One and a half storeys Cl7 service wing to N of
W wing, roughcast but C18 red and black brick N gable with C19
projecting gable chimney. Cross-passage at W end of hall behind
inserted chimney, possibly replacing a timber framed hood in late
Cl9. 3-bay E wing has stair in narrower middle bay and double
jettied S gable has heavy corner brackets and double roll
moulding on bressumer. Double jettied, 3-bay, 2-storeys and
cellar, W crosswing slightly later, without brackets or bressumer
moulding, has similar narrower middle bay for a stair and
chamfered 1st floor doorway into upper floor over hall range
which by then must have been heightened and floored. Ovolo
moulded mullioned windows blocked in E side walls of W wing date
it to early Cl7. Large entrance doorway in E wall (blocked). 2-
bay service wing extending to N has a tall diamond mullioned W
window (altered and part blocked) and was originally open to the
roof. Entrance and passage moved to E end of hall and E wing
provided with new stair and new main entrance from E in early
C19. S entrance returned to old position and one at other end of
hall blocked in C20, with passage thrown into SE room. Imposing
S front with gabled wings jettied at 1st floor and attic levels,
and tall red brick panelled chimney rising through front slope of
roof of hall range near the W end. One window to W wing on each
floor and one over door into passage to W of chimney. Window to
hall and chamber over. 3-light mullioned flush windows with
leaded glazing and iron opening lights (2-light over porch).
Single flush box sash window to ground floor of E wing with 6/6
panes, to left of a central C19 painted brick S gable chimney
rising externally to disappear into the 1st floor jetty. 4 steps
to half-glazed panelled door under steep gabled hood on heavy cut
brackets. Formal 3 windows E front has flush box sash windows
with 8/8 panes and 6-panel middle door offset to N in heavy frame
with rectangular fanlight under a trellis porch with tented metal
roof. U-shaped rear elevation. Old Cl7 oak door to cross-
passage with ovolo chamfered battens and cut-in bullion light and
flat hood on shaped brackets. Casement windows and blocked
windows in wings. 2 casement windows to each floor on W.
Interior has brick paving in cross-passage and in cellar under
parlour at SW corner. Blocked doorway from passage into W stair
bay now with 2-light ogee moulded mullioned window with leaded
glazing, inserted. 2 chamfered but unstopped axial beams support
hall floor and early C20 Arts and Crafts inglenook in oak with
pewter plaques among tiles of fire surround. Similar artworkers
escutcheons and finger plates on doors elsewhere in house.
Exposed timberwork in upper floor of W wing appears as close
studding with straight tension braces. Clasped-purlin roofs.
Face-halved bladed scarf joint in E wallplate of W wing. 2-panel
doors with H hinges on 1st floor. Massive tie-beam over hall
(cut) just above level of window sill. (RCHM (1911) 214: RCHM
Typescript).

Listing NGR: TL2667025295

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17555497

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): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)