The Poplars, Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire

Summary

Large house, built in the early C18, with later C18 and C19 additions and alterations, late C19 rear addition, C20 alterations; the large range of flats added to the south-west in 1985, and the canted link block are excluded.

Description

MATERIALS: limestone rubble with stone dressings, ashlar, slate roofs with gable stacks, partly rendered, addition to rear in brick.

PLAN: the main range runs north east-south west, with the entrance to the south-east, and C19 and earlier C20 additions to the rear, extending north-westwards.

EXTERIOR: the C18 and C19 phases are built from coursed limestone rubble, with prominent ashlar quoins and window surrounds. The original main range, dating from the early C18, is of two storeys and seven bays, with the three central bays breaking forward under a pedimented gable, flanked by two window bays, all with prominent long-and-short quoins, moulded plinth and a moulded eaves cornice. The central entrance bay has a C20 studded door under a heavy pediment on shaped brackets. The centre window above is blocked. To either side of the foot of the door is the head of a blocked cellar window. The windows in this range all have small-paned nine-over-nine sash windows with thick glazing bars in plain stone surrounds. The right-hand flanking bay added in the later C18, which is set back again, lacks the quoins and plinth of the earlier bays; the windows are twelve-over-twelve sashes with the same thick glazing bars as those in the earlier range, and exposed sash boxes. The ground-floor window has a solid lintel; that above has rough stone voussoirs. The right return is set back behind the partial screen wall of this bay, altered in the C20, with an external timber staircase to the first floor; uPVC casement windows. To the rear of the main range is a large, gabled late C19 addition of two storeys and two windows, all with one-over-one plate-glass sashes. There is single-storey addition to left with two windows. To the right, a two-storey block is now obscured by the addition of the new ranges in 1985.

To the left, the side elevation of a double-depth, east-west wing forms the balancing bays to the main range. The ground floor has two narrow, six-over-six pane sashes, widely spaced, and one twelve-over-twelve-pane sash at first floor; there is no eaves cornice. The pitched roof rises above. The left return has an early-C19 round-headed French window with margin glazing, and splayed glazing bars in the top section; a canopied trellis verandah and two sash windows above with thin glazing bars and surrounds matching the main elevation. Two small gables above with raised coped verges and stacks. To the left bay, a single-storey, later-C19, ashlar canted bay window with three plate-glass sashes, cornice, parapet and coping; a similar sash window above and the gable with raised shaped stonework under the verges, and a small ball finial to the apex. Left again is a single-storey, angled block built in 1985, with uPVC French doors with margin glazing, to link the earlier ranges with three blocks of flats added in 1985, running south-westwards from the side. These and the link block are excluded.

INTERIOR: the historic house is now divided into four flats, a guest suite and a number of communal areas. The rooms have a combination of four- and six-panelled doors, in panelled doorcases; flat moulded architraves, shutters in some rooms, and mainly later C19 fireplaces, some lost. A double-height entrance hall occupies the projecting three-window entrance bay and extends back through the depth of the original, early-C18 range; its fireplace has a carved, dark timber surround with later tiled interior. At the rear of the hall a wide, open-well stair rises to a galleried landing. The stair is open string, with two turned balusters to each tread, with a moulded handrail and wreathed curtail step. The rooms flanking the entrance hall are now a guest suite and other facilities for visitors. To the rear right, one flat occupies part of the later C18 house, and the later C19 extensions; the fixtures date mainly from the later C20. This includes a stone stair to the cellar under the main stair, the cellar extending under the foot print of the entrance hall. To the rear left, a late-C20 partition under the stair has a glazed section leading into the communal spaces; the first is a rear hall, now a snooker room, with a partitioned-off section housing an office; the snooker room has a narrow cornice. From the former rear hall, doors give access into two further communal rooms, in the south-western range attached to the early C18 range. One has been reduced in size to create a bathroom for the guest suite. The room has early-C19 arched-top French doors, with shutters; round-arched niche; simple cornice and chair rail. The fireplace is a late C19 example similar to that in the entrance hall. The adjacent room has a canted bay window with a classical fireplace with eared marble inset and scrolling frieze under a moulded mantel. There is panelling below the sash windows. The moulded cornice includes a narrow classical frieze. Also off the rear hall is the narrow, open-well secondary stair, a simpler version of the main stair, with two turned balusters to each open tread, and a ramped handrail. At first-floor level, there is a late-C20 glazed partition at the top of the secondary stairs. The first-floor rooms are divided among three flats, the two larger including the rooms to left and right of the hall void, and extending rearwards from there; the third flat occupies rooms in the later extensions. The first-floor rooms have much simpler decorative schemes, without cornices, and simpler fire surrounds; some fireplaces have been removed.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: extending from the south-western corner of the main range is a short length of rubble stone WALL with a stone-built DOORWAY; this has a pointed-arched opening.

History

The Poplars originated in the early C18 as a large, single-depth house with the present projecting entrance bay. Later in the C18, an additional bay was added to the north-east side. The Poplars is depicted in this form on the tithe map of about 1841, when the house, garden and orchard was leased by Rachael Joyce from the Dean and Chapter of Wells. Soon after, a double-depth range was added to the south-west end of the main range, facing the garden to the south-west, with additional principal rooms. In the later C19, further ancillary ranges were added to the rear (north-west) of the main range.

In 1985, the house was divided into three flats and a series of communal spaces, and a linear range of three two-storey blocks of retirement flats was added, extending south-westwards from the rear of the house. These blocks, known as Cherry, Maple and Willow, are excluded from the listing.

Reasons for Listing

The Poplars, a house of the C18, C19 and early C20, and its garden gateway (excluding the link block and 1985 buildings attached to the south-west), are listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a good, early C18 house demonstrating clear quality in architectural style;
* the alterations and additions made in the later C19 and early C19 are also of good quality in design and execution.

Historic interest:

* as an evolved house of the C18, C19 and C20, whose development is clearly legible in the fabric.

Group value:

* with Crump Farm to the west (listed Grade II), a house of the C17, another large house which was part of the long process of gentrification of the area after the sale of the manor of Pucklechurch by Glastonbury Abbey following the Dissolution.

External Links

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