Description

SY 58 NE KINGSTON RUSSELL LOWER KINGSTON RUSSELL

3/123 Kingston Russell House
26,1.56
GV I

Country House in formal-garden. Late C17 for John Michel III, and early C18
west front remodelled, perhaps by Francis Cartwright of Blandford for John
Michel IV. North and south wings built from 1913 by Philip Tilden for George
Gribble. North-east wing demolished late C19. Portland ashlar stone walls,
with a balustraded stone parapet (C18). Lead roofs. Stone stacks. East
front, 2 storeys and cellars, original house is 9 bays wide. Large 2-light
mullion windows with double transoms, all hollow-chamfered. Fixed lead lights,
and some opening metal casements. Bays 7 and 8 have inserted single-light
windows. Moulded cornice over ground and first floor windows. Doorway at centre
with moulded stone architrave and large stone volute brackets with foliage feet.
Swan-necked open pediment with scroll terminals. 2-leaf door with fielded panels
at bottom and fully glazed above, C19. Interrupted fenestration at north end,
inserted after east wing demolished. West front: remodelled in 7 bays, with
central 3 contained within a giant Ionic pilaster order with entablature and
pediment. Round-headed sashes, set deep in wall face, with stone cills on volute
brackets. Outer sashes, with glazing-bars, segmental heads with square stone
architraves, stone cills, bracketed. Front doorway at centre, with moulded eared
architrave, plain frieze and pediment carried on scroll brackets. Fielded-panel
doorway, 10 panels. 8 stone steps up to front door with stone sides and fielded-
panel corner piers. Ball-finials. Extension to house at north and south end, C20.
One bay, though 3 storeys under same parapet level in coursed dressed stone. Sashes
with glazing-bars, in ascending order, square-headed, segment-headed and round-
headed. Mullion-and-transom on end walls. Canted bay at north end with stone cap,
containing 2 storeys. South end wall has a stone-framed doorway with a central
volute bracket supporting a cornice. Interior: Single-depth house with rear
corridor. Entrance hall totally re-decorated in manner of William Kent, by
Mrs Vestey 1939, including fireplace and overmantel, moulded overmantel with
swan-necked open pediment and urn at centre. Dining Room with early C19 scenic
Chinese wallpaper, installed C20. Rear corridor, with slender reeded pilasters,
becoming fronds in stucco under the coving. C18 fielded panelling survives in
Drawing Room and upstairs bedrooms. Thomas Masterman Hardy born here in 1759.
J L Motley, American Ambassador died here in 1877.
(RCHM Dorset I, p.127 (1). A Oswald, Kingston Russell House, in Country Life,
November 1951).

Listing NGR: SY5719089549

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Kingston Russell House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q6413602

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.

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