Description

BICTON C.P. PRESTON MONTFORD
SJ 41 SW
9/38 Preston Montford Hall
29.1.52
- II*

Small country house, now field study centre. Circa 1700,with some early
C19 alterations and additions. Painted brick with some painted sandstone
dressings. Hipped slate roof. Square plan. Two storeys and attic
over basement. South front: plinth with moulded stone top, chamfered
stone quoins, plat band, and moulded wooden modillion eaves cornice. Brick
ridge stack off-centre to right, brick stack on left-hand return ridge,
brick ridge stack to rear ridge and C20 stack off ridge to west. Three
small-paned dormers with triangular pediments. 2:1:2 bays; boxed glazing
bar sashes with painted stone cills and gauged-brick heads. Entrance
altered in the early C19, consisting of tripartite glazing bar sash with
flanking unfluted pilasters supporting entablature and triangular pediment.
Flanking early C18 lead downpipes with fixing straps and cast rainwater
heads with central monogram, acanthus ornament to sides and moulded
tops. Right-hand return front: central pedimented dormer. Three bays.
Some blind windows without cills, painted in imitation of glazing bar sashes.
Blank centre to ground floor. Early C19 six-panelled door to eight with
beaded flush panels and central beading, and Greek Doric stone porch with
unfluted columns and antae, frieze, cornice and blocking course. Left-hand
return front: single dormer to right. Three bays. Some blind windows
without cills, painted in imitation of glazing bar sashes. Rear of 2 bays
to north-east. Painted-brick service wing to rear with hipped slate roof.
Two storeys and attic. Dentil brick eaves cornice, brick stacks and gabled
dormers. Square wooden bellcote with pyramidal cap and weathervane. Two
bays to east; boxed glazing bar sashes with painted stone cills. Interior:
altered in the early C19. Front rooms with early C19 ornament. Early
C19 three-bay Doric screen (now blocked) between central former entrance
hall and left-hand room, with plain antae, and entablature with panelled
soffit, anthemion and palmette ornament to frieze,and moulded cornice.
Ground-floor front rooms with early C19 plaster cornices and soffits.
Present entrance hall at rear with c.1700 raised and fielded and bolection-
moulded panelling (probably resited) with moulded dado rail and moulded
cornice. Windows with panelled internal shutters. Central staircase
hall: 3-flight square-well oak staircase of c.1700, rising to attic,
with panelled closed string, drop balusters, moulded handrail, panelled
square newel posts with moulded caps and turned pendants, and raised and
fielded dado panelling with moulded rail. Early C19 panelled doors with
panelled architraves. First floor not inspected. B.O.E., p. 203.

Listing NGR: SJ4330214331

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Preston Montford at Wikipedia
• Wikidata IDs Q17550846 Q7241942

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

• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)