Common Garden, Including Boundary and Garden Walls, Rolvenden Layne, Kent

Description

ROLVENDEN

945/0/10022 FRENSHAM ROAD
27-APR-10 2
COMMON GARDEN, INCLUDING BOUNDARY AND
GARDEN WALLS

GV II
Detached house, including boundary walls and garden walls. Built c1927 for the son of Lord Geddes of Frensham Manor. Built in Vernacular Revival style, architect not at present known.

MATERIALS: Handmade bricks in English bond, with some round-headed stone window dressings (perhaps based on windows of the Dering estate), and tiled roof with two tall brick chimneystacks.

PLAN: Roughly cruciform, with principal rooms to the south and service range to the north. The ground floor has a central staircase hall with large drawing room to the north, a smaller dining room to the south. There is a service corridor to the west, with kitchen to the south and a larder and a boot room to the north. The upper floor consists of two bedrooms, a dressing room and bathroom.

EXTERIOR: The east or entrance front is of one storey and attics with a central-projecting porch with crow-stepped gable supported on kneelers with staircase window, a mullioned and transomed casement in brick surround, and entrance in the south side of the gable. This comprises an 18-panelled oak door, with three glazed panels, recessed behind a two-centred arch. To the left is a triple stone round-headed arch. To the right is a triple-hipped dormer, with a four-light mullioned and transomed window below. The south side has a projecting east bay with hipped roof containing hipped dormer with triple casement. There is a triple mullioned and transomed casement below. The west bay is set back, with a tall brick chimneystack and a triple casement. The west side has a projecting south bay with hipped roof, a hipped dormer and hipped porch with two small casement windows in brick surrounds, and the tradesman's entrance with plank door facing south. The northern part has two hipped dormers with casement windows and the ground floor has a central stone triple round-headed arched casement and two similar single-arched casements. The north end has a large projecting external brick chimneystack with crow-stepped gable and two diagonally-set stacks, with a small window to the west. Attached to the south and north walls are low curved or straight brick walls, with cast iron pedestrian gates. To the west of the houses is a crinkle crankle brick wall about six feet high, with three curved bays facing south.

INTERIOR: The staircase hall has an oak well staircase with turned balusters, carved handrail, square newelposts with urn finials and an attached lattice screen. There are a series of carved oak doors. The drawing room has an open fireplace with oak bressumer with two inch chamfer with lambs tongue stops and inch-wide brick surround in stretcher bond incorporating a tall brick canopy and shaped brackets. The oak ceiling has two axial beams with runout stops and similar floor joists. The dining room has a corner-splayed brick fireplace with moulded brick shelf and four-centred arch. There is an oak serving hatch with linenfold panelling, and the ceiling is of oak with roll-moulded beams. A carved oak door to the west leads to the service end with a corridor lined with a series of carved oak doors, some sliding. The kitchen retains the original chimney bressumer, with moulded plate shelf supported on brackets and a wooden enunciator fixed to the wall. Various smaller rooms include a larder with shelves, and a boot room with folding surface.

HISTORY: The land on which this house was built was sold by the owner, a Mr Burden, to Lord Geddes, the owner of the neighbouring Frensham Manor, on 17th October 1927. There was an existing cottage on the site called Common Garden Cottage, which was shown on the First edition Ordnance Survey map of 1870-1 and the 1908 Second Edition, but this cottage was demolished and the present house built. It was built as a small gentleman's residence with service quarters and was built for Lord Geddes son. The architect has not yet been identified but is likely to have also refurbished Frensham Manor for Lord Geddes in the 1920s.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: A late example of a small gentleman's house in Vernacular Revival style, constructed of good quality materials and with varied elevational treatment. It is unaltered with well crafted interior features, has an unusual crinkle crankle wall and has group value with its main house, Frensham Manor (Grade II), which was probably refurbished in the 1920s by the same hand.

Reasons for Listing

Common Garden is recommended for statutory designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* This is a good quality small gentleman's house of 1927, well crafted, of good materials and with varied three-dimensional elevational treatment.
* Although the Vernacular Revival style was not innovative, by this date this is a good quality example.
* Decorative features include crow-stepped gables, leaded light windows and original oak doors. Internal oak joinery includes doors (including unusual sliding examples), staircase with built-in lattice screen, ceilings and also good quality brick fireplaces.
* It has group value with Frensham Manor (Grade II) whose owner, Lord Geddes, built Common Garden for a member of his family. The unidentified architect refurbished the main house in the 1920s, and built Common Garden.
* Common Garden has survived virtually unaltered. This includes the boundary walls and gates and, unusually for the early-C20, a crinkle crankle garden wall.

External Links

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