Description

CHARD

ST3308 FORE STREET
756-1/4/58 (North side)
24/03/75 Nos.7A,7B,9,11,13 & 13A
Waterloo House and Manor Court House

GV I

House and courtroom, now shops and offices. Late C16/early C17
with possible earlier origins and later alterations,
principally in mid C19. Ham Hill stone ashlar with coursed and
squared flint to left and pebble-dashed front to right;
coursed and squared flint to rear wing; Ham Hill stone
dressings; gabled slate and concrete roofs to front and
pantile roofs to rear, all roofs with ashlar copings.
Plan encloses 3 sides of a courtyard; hall to front with rear
stair projection, parlour/service wing enclosing right side of
courtyard and range with first-floor Court Room to rear;
further wing to rear.
2 storeys and attics, except bay to right which has 3 storeys
and attic; 6-window range. Centre has 2 gabled bays with ball
finials flanked by 3-storey porch to left and 2-storey porch
to right. All windows have hollow-moulded stone mullioned
Tudor-arched lights; 2 centre bays have label moulds over
3-light attic windows above canted 5-light bay/oriel windows
with sills continued as string course, that to right with C20
leaded lights; moulded sill and dripmould courses to
3:4:3-light windows with C19 leaded lights to porch on left,
which has label mould over moulded Tudor-arched doorway with
sunk spandrels set beneath moulded corbelling, and with
obelisk finials to corners of triple-gabled parapet; similar
porch to right has plainer doorway and triple-gabled parapet
without obelisks. Late C19 projecting shop fronts to centre
with pilasters and corbelled entablatures, that to the left
retaining arched 6-light window with colonnettes and trefoil
spandrels. Right-hand bay has simulated granite pebbledashed
lintels with vermiculated keys over horned sashes except mid
C20 casements to first floor and attic. Mid C20 shop front.
Left-hand bay rebuilt mid C19 and gabled to front with obelisk
finial, has mid C20 shop front; mid C19 four-light canted
first-floor bay with Tudor-arched stone mullioned windows and
brattished cornice; label mould over 3-light Tudor-arched
stone mullioned dormer window to front with crocketed finial.
Rear elevation: chamfered pointed-arched doorway to
cross-passage, adjoining projecting gabled stair turret with
3-light chamfered stone mullioned window to top rear right
wing. 2-storey, 3-window range to right side wall: chamfered
lancet windows to stair turret adjoining main range;
hollow-moulded stone mullioned windows of up to 5 lights, some
with C19 leaded lights. C18 three-light casement with leaded
lights set below eaves; C19 wood columns and flat hood
fronting C20 double doors towards rear and to right of late
C19 tripartite sash and late C19 fixed 5-light shop window
with moulded cornice, both set in original deepened openings.
Rear gable has 2 similar late C16 windows and garderobe
projection.
Left side wall of rear wing, of 2 storeys and attic, 3-window
range: timber lintel over C17 plank door with strap hinges;
hollow-moulded stone mullioned windows with mid C20 leaded
lights, except similar Tudor-arched window with inserted late
C19 doorway (originally of 6 lights, now 4); stair projection
with 2 blocked lancet lights to rear of first floor; 2 dormers
with similar mullioned windows. Wing to left of courtyard,
mostly C19 and of 2 storeys, with rendered walls and C20 doors
and windows.
Both wings flank rear courtyard and abut 2-storey rear block
parallel to street. The Manor Court has 20-light first-floor
window with central king mullion-and-transom to hollow-moulded
Tudor-arched doorway with sunk spandrels. Similar rear
elevation with wide C17 plank and studded door adjoining
2-light moulded stone mullioned window. Late C16/early C17
two-storey, 3-window range rear wing, remodelled in early C19
as workshop range: timber lintels over C20 plank doors, late
C19/early C20 fixed-pane casements and C19 planked double
doors and loading bay.
INTERIOR: particularly notable for very fine plaster ceilings
of c1600: that to ground floor right has squares quartered by
straight ribs with leaf motifs to corners, diamonds and
foliate bosses; that to ground floor left has quatrefoils with
floral motifs; that to first floor right is most intricate,
with foliage and fruit to boss surrounded by groups of circles
linked by hexagons; first-floor room to rear of latter has
dolphins and human heads to cornice and ribbed panels enclosed
by broad foliate crosses with small fluted bosses; that to
Court Room is described below.
Front block: Ground floor includes front room to right with
blocked stone doorway to the rear of a cavity of a former open
fireplace; stair turret to rear rises to first floor with
blocked fireplaces, and Tudor-arched fireplace with sunk
spandrels to left.
Rear left wing: large room to front of axial stack has been
partitioned off, the room now to the rear having moulded
panelled door with black painted decoration and spiral stair
of solid wood treads to right (east); room to rear of axial
stack has early C17 oak panelled cupboard with cockshead
hinges; first-floor partitions of studwork remain. C19
features to rear left wing include elliptical arches, 6-panel
doors and staircase of mostly c1800; 2nd floor, mostly mid C19
with 4-panel door and hob grate in wooden surround to front
room.
Block to rear of courtyard: Manor Court Room has elaborate
plasterwork to the barrel-vaulted ceiling and tympana at each
end, including representations of the judgement of Solomon,
Justice with a Sword, Three Men in the Fiery Furnace and
Daniel in the Lion's Den; large stone fireplace to left (west)
end, with 4-centred arch below ornate plaster panel between
caryatids; ground floor has 2 rooms between through passage
flanked by stud and panel screens with chamfered arched
doorways and with pointed and moulded arched entrance
doorways.
Trenched purlin roof with jointed crucks throughout;
arch-braced truss close to left gable wall of front wing
suggests that it continued further to left (west).
A print of 1843 in the Pigott Collection shows building prior
to alteration to shops with bay windows to the ground-floor.
(Pevsner N: Buildings of England: South Somerset: London:
1958-: P.118; Report by Vernacular Architecture Group).

Listing NGR: ST3219208605

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q40309088

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

• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2