Description

HATHERLEIGH
SS 50 SW
6/21 Passaford House
-
GV II

Small country house, presently farmhouse. Circa mid to late C18 probably a
remodelling of an earlier building, with C19 additions. Smooth rendered walls
partly cob partly brick. Gable ended slate roof. 2 gable end stacks of dressed
stones with rojecting dripcourses. 2 brick gable end stacks to rear wings.
Plan: only the front range definitely dates back to the C18 and it consists of a
large entrance hall which originally had a dividing staircase at the rear, but this
has been replaced by a fireplace built in front of a stair running along the rear
wall. To the right of the entrance hall is a fairly small but good quality room
probably a parlour or dining room and to the left of the hall is a larger room. In
this larger room evidence was found during a recent refurbishment of a C17
fireplace. As the front rooms were all obviously of a good quality there must have
been service rooms and kitchen quarters to the rear and one or both of the 2 rear
wings (behind the rignt-hand end and centre of the main range) probably incorporate
these although neither exhibits any features earlier than the C19. According to
local tradition the house once extended further at the rear enclosing a courtyard.
In the circa mid C19 a small parallel range was added behind the left-hand room.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Modillion cornice below eaves. Asymmetrical 3-bay 7-window
front of 2:3:2 late C20 2-light casements on first floor. The middle bay projects
slightly and is placed to right of centre. On ground floor to left and right are
late C20 French windows. Circa mid C19 flat roofed porch at centre of middle bay
which has modillion cornice and decoratively panelled door. Later C19 addition at
right-hand end. Rear elevation has a wing to left and at centre with leanto in
between and at right-hand end is small range parallel to front block.
Interior: the smaller right-hand room has an C18 chimneypiece which was moved from
the left-hand room. It has a frieze with central reeded panel and a flower-head to
either side and a dentilled cornice below the mantlepiece. A chair rail has
similar reeded and flower decoration but probably dates from the C19. The walls
have an egg and dart cornice with a delicate ceiling band above of trailing vine and
floral design. At the rear of the room is a shallow arch which was originally for
an alcove but has been turned into an opening to the room behind. The left-hand
room has a similar shallow arched recess in the wall dividing it from the entrance
hall. The entrance hall formerly had an C18 moulded rib plaster ceiling with a
decorative rococo style ceiling centre. The staircase has been completely altered
but retains an C18 arch at its head with projecting imposts and dropped keystone.
On the landing is a C19 balustrade - reputedly brought from another building - which
is divided into sections by chamfered posts with ogee arches in between them. On
the first floor some C18 2-panel doors survive with mainly late C18 or early C19 6-
panel doors at the front on the ground floor.

Listing NGR: SS5410303293

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26399229

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]
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)