Description

SOUTH POOL
SX 73 NE
9/136 Scoble
26.1.67 (formerly listed as Scoble Farmhouse)

II *

House, formerly farmhouse. Circa 1720 - 40 with early C19 addition. Slatestone
rubble walls, more finely jointed to the C18 range. Hipped slate roofs, with
sprocketted eaves to the C18 part. Brick stack at either end of it and one to
each of the rear wings.
Plan: the earliest surviving part of the house is the single depth early C18
range consisting of 2 slightly asymmetrical rooms with a central stairhall. This
must have been built on as a parlour wing to a pre-existing range, through which
it was entered. In the early C19 this earlier range was demolished and replaced
by 2 parallel wings at right angles to the C18 block. The front one of these
wings had an entrance hall to the left and large room to the right. In the rear
wing were the kitchen and service rooms.
Exterior; 2 storeys to rear wings, the C18 range is of 5 storeys including a
basement and an attic. Symmetrical 4-window garden front to C18 range of late C19
or early C20 4-pane sashes, apart from 2-light casements to the basement. The top
storey windows are smaller. Flat stone voussoir arches above windows on 2
principal storeys, slightly cambered arches to basement. The top 2 windows to the
left of centre (lighting the staircase) appear to have originally dropped further
down. On the basement level the right-hand window opening is blocked and to left
of centre is a C20 plank door. Modillion eaves cornice. Right-hand rear wing
forms asymmetrical 2-window entrance front. Early C19 12-pane hornless sashes on
1st floor with contemporary 16-pane tripartite sash below to the right. To its
left is a porch of the same date although probably glazed later) with a flat roof
and corner pilasters and C20 glazed door in the side.
Interior: the C18 range is very complete with good quality fittings. Double
doors lead to it from the C19 range. The slightly larger ground floor room has
complete original fielded panelling with key fret cornice, incorporating panelled
shutters, a pair of doorcases (one blind and purely there for purpose of symmetry)
with 6-panelled doors and fireplace with eared architrave. This has a Victorian
horseshoe grate and marble surround. To either side of the fireplace the panels
are hinged as if for cupboards but there is no recess behind. Contemporary
plaster ceiling in a geometric design but with some rather archaic high relief
floral and foliage decoration. The smaller ground floor room has a simpler
plaster ceiling of central oval with surrounding panels. Early C19 ceiling band
and doorcase and Victorian fireplace. The stairhall has 3 pedimented doorcases.
The C18 dogleg staircase rises right to the top of the house and has an open
string, carved tread ends, column newel and turned balusters. The ceilings over
the staircase and at the base of the stairs have simple C18 plaster decoration.
The principal 1st floor room also has a decorative C18 plaster ceiling, less
elaborate than the room below but more so than the smaller ground floor room. It
also has panelled shutters and window seats and an C18 wooden chimneypiece with
eared architrave and pulvinated frieze. Moulded plaster cornice. The original A-frame trusses also survive.
This is a slightly provincial, but nonetheless interesting example of an early -
mid C18 gentleman's house which has a remarkably complete interior and has not
suffered from any extreme C20 modernisation.

Listing NGR: SX7601739874

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533779

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990