Description

TQ 5935 FRANT

995/35/10054 Frant Court and
attached wall

24.08.1998 II

Originally house, later school. Core of c1872-1875, architect not known at present, for Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe (originally Stratford Canning), cousin to George Canning the Prime Minister and Ambassador to Turkey. Further extension to north by 1910, possibly service wing and garage. Alterations and additions of 1913-14 by G E Streitfield, a pupil of Sir T G Jackson for Miss Thornton, which included a full-height extension in the south eastern corner with billiard room with additional bedrooms over, porch to Frant Road, the complete remodelling of the northern wing to privide kitchen and other service elements and interior re-modelling. Later C20 additions are not of special interest. Vernacular Revival style reminiscent of R Norman Shaw.

EXTERIOR: Asymmetrical building with ground floor of red brick and upper floors hung with plain or curved tiles with plaintiled roofs with 11 clustered brick chimneystacks. Two storeys and attics; irregular fenestration. Windows are mainly wooden casements or mullioned and transomed casements with leaded lights The principal feature is the subtle arrangement of tall gables. The north or service wing, has two wide gables. This is followed to the left by a projecting gable, a recessed gable then paired gables with canted bay to left and frieze window to right. The main entrance is by a gabled brick and timberframed porch. To the left are a pair of gables with external brick chimneystack in between. Attached to the front is a red brick garden wall with brick coping and corner pier with stone finial ramped up to four-centred arch with a lower section connected to porch. Left side elevation has tall canted bay with 5-light window to second floor. Rear elevation has projecting right side gable with second floor recessed window, 6-light bay window to first floor and 6-light mullioned and transomed window to ground floor. There are two recessed gables to the left, one with 5-light bay to first floor then a projecting gable with 5-light mullioned and transomed windows.Between these four gables is a later C20 conservatory. There is a setback section with two hipped dormers with triple windows and below central 7-light windows with 2-light windows at the ends. To the extreme left are two further gables and the range ends with a half-hipped roof.

INTERIOR: Early C20 oak joinery including at least three panelled rooms, two with plank and muntin panelling and one with panelling of early C18 type with fielded panels and dado rail and doors. Main well staircase with two turned balusters to each tread and scrolled tread ends. Other staircases reported. One room has a large four-centred stone fireplace flanked by pilasters. The room with early C18 style panelling has a marble bolection-moulded fireplace. A further room has an Adam style moulded plaster ceiling.

HISTORY: Before his death in 1880, Stratford de Redcliffe re-named Park House Frant Court. Following Streitfeild's work for Miss Thornton Gertrude Jekyll completed the woodland garden and steps. Later in the C20 the building was used by a convent as a secure school for delinquent girls and the property was acquired by the London Borough of Greenwich in 1974-5. The building is shown on O S 25 inch map of 1875 as Park House with northern garage extension shown on O S map of 1910. Shown on photograph of 1904.

[See Pevsner BOE Sussex p508.
"Frant : A parish History " Henry S Eeles 1947 p211.
Streitfeild's May 1913 plans survive.]

Listing NGR: TQ5893435256

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26656798

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

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
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  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)