History

Gentry house of early origins, possibly C16, enlarged in C17 with formal earlier to mid C18 range added in front. The house was small, with 3 hearths in 1670 when owned by William Davies, but by the time of an inventory of 1728 there were 14 rooms, possibly the present house. Charles Davies succeeded his father but in 1741 Matthew Bowen of 'Watchfield' was High Sheriff, so house may have been enlarged for him as the detail looks too late for the 1720s. Described in diary of 1779 as 'good and well-furnished', belonging to Miss Bowen, niece of Bowen of Camrose. There is a vaulted room in the back of the house and another broken vault behind an outbuilding, suggesting C16 wealth.

Exterior

House, unpainted render with slate roofs, 2 storeys and attic, double-pile with rebuilt red brick end stacks to front range. The front range is taller than the rear and probably of later date the stairs being inserted in the rear range. Front has 5-bay elevation with 15-pane hornless sashes and stone sills, centre fine timber Palladian window with pilastered corniced side-lights flanking arched centre with radiating bars to head of upper sash. Recessed big 4-panel door with overlight under big timber shelf hood on long scrolled brackets. Flat eaves, 2 slate-hung gabled dormers with uPVC glazing. To right set back is C20 2-storey, 2-window addition in angle to longer rear range. Left end has double gable with lights set to right of centre lighting the spine passages of the front range and one window ground floor left lighting room with stone vault.
Rear has had all windows renewed in uPVC replacing 12-pane wooden sashes. Five-bay main part and then slightly lower 2-bay left section. The main part has door in middle bay and big stair light in fourth bay. The attic has 4 windows breaking eaves under gables, slightly lower sill to the one over stair. The lower part to left has single dormer and rebuilt left end stack.

Interior

Interior altered in C20, under restoration. Central entry with principal room each side, entered by fielded-panelled doors. Fielded panelled shutters. Room to left has timber late C18 Adam-style chimneypiece with tapering piers, ornamented with ox-skull, husk-drop, urn and sphinx motifs, possibly brought in from elsewhere. Room to right is altered as is centre hall. To rear is spine passage off which opens the fine earlier to mid C18 stair (like the one at Camrose House) with turned balusters 3 per tread), paired column newels at landings and scrolled tread ends. Four flights up to attic. Attic of rear range has plain bolted collar trusses in pine. To left of stair in corner of ground floor rear is a small stone vaulted room of possibly C16 date. To right of hall is room now opened out into kitchen beyond but preserving mid C18 pine panelling on front and back walls. Fielded panels and curved-backed arched niche with fluted pilasters and curved shelves, in architrave with pulvinated frieze and cornice. Kitchen beyond has 3 heavy plain beams, axial to house. First floor front rooms not accessible at time of survey, some with fielded panelled shutters.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a well-preserved gentry house of early origins with good C18 staircase.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29505216

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

• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)