Description

WOLVERHAMPTON

SO89NE WIGHTWICK BANK
895-1/4/178 (West side)
29/07/50 Wightwick Manor

GV I

House, now owned by the National Trust. 1887; extended 1893.
By Edward Ould for Theodore Mander. Interior design by William
Morris and C.E. Kempe. Brick with ashlar dressings and timber
framing; tile roofs with brick stacks. Originally L-plan with
west wing and north service wing with square tower to angle,
later extended to T-plan with east guest wing. Vernacular
Revival Style. South garden facade of 2 storeys, 5-window
range to west. Timber-framed 1st floor; 2 projecting gables
and right end cross wing with enriched bargeboards. Ground
floor has cusped elliptical-headed lights to brick-mullioned
windows; 1st floor has mostly canted timber oriels; small
balcony to left of right end wing. Single-storey hall range to
east has 2-storey cross wing; timber framing on ashlar plinth;
richly carved bressummers, bargeboards etc. Hall has large
gabled bay window with enriched timber mullioned and transomed
windows with leaded glazing; other windows similar; cross wing
has paired canted 1st floor oriels, gabled dormer to left;
east return similar with end cross wings; treatment continued
to north gable end. Many stacks with oversailing caps, those
to east wing with richly moulded shafts. North elevation of
west wing has 2 gables with ingle stack to right; gabled
timber-framed 2-storey porch projects at angle with
inscription over battened door; tower has embattled parapet.
Service wing has simpler details and hipped roof; tile hanging
to 1st floor, plastered east elevation; small kitchen court
between service wing and east wing.
INTERIOR: has Morris wallpapers and fabric hangings
throughout, some brought in during C20; contemporary electric
light fittings by Benson. Drawing room has ingle fireplace
with window seat, panelled dado, fabric hangings, moulded
cornice and ceiling, Kempe glass from his house (Old Place),
fireplace with de Morgan tiles; hall has re-used C17 panelling
from Old Manor (q.v.), window seat, Kempe glass; library has
shelving and panelling, tiled fireplace with monochrome
overmantel painting; morning room has cupboards with Spanish
style ironwork, fireplace with de Morgan tiles; great parlour
has painted arch-braced roof with panelling, fabric hangings
over panelling with painted relief plaster frieze over, large
ingle fireplace with seats and tiles, 2 ogee-headed entrances
to west end; billiard room has ingle fireplace with tiles and
copper hood, dais with balustrading, plaster ceiling, window
seat; dining room has plaster ceiling, built-in sideboard;
stair has turned balusters. 1st floor guest rooms have wall
hangings, wallpapers, and fireplaces; family rooms are
simpler, some fireplaces and built-in cupboards, some C17
panelling from Old Manor House. The house is an important
example of the architecture and design of the late C19,
containing much work by the leading designers of the day; one
of only a few such houses.
(Shell County Guides: Thorold H: Staffordshire: London: 1978-:
P.182-5; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Staffordshire:
London: 1974-: P.310-11; Girouard M: The Victorian Country
House: London: 1979-: P.375-80).

Listing NGR: SO8694698441

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wightwick Manor at Wikipedia
• Wightwick Manor official website
• Wikidata Q7999662

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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)