History

Italianate villa of c1850 replacing an earlier house on the site. Marked on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey where it was called 'The Warren'. Shown in an engraving of 1872, the front little altered, but with a parallel rear range in the same style. The stacks, with the exception of 1 ridge stack, were located along the ridge between these 2 ranges; they are now lost. At some time, the house was owned by the Hawarden (Gladstone) Estate, which brought in classical-style panelling from another house which was undergoing demolition. During World War II the house was used as a base for intelligence work, after which it was the centre of a large farm which specialised in cheese-making. It subsequently became offices for farming-related companies.

Exterior

House in Italianate style. Symmetrical 2-storey 5-window, stuccoed under a shallow hipped slate roof, the stacks missing. Detail includes wide modillion eaves cornice, rusticated quoins, plinth, and wide moulded string course doubling as continuous hoodmould and sill band. The ground floor windows are 12-pane hornless sashes with moulded sills and flat heads, with scrolled brackets supporting the continuous hoodmould. The upper storey windows are round-arched plain-glazed hornless sashes with keystones; individual entablatures supported by pairs of scrolled brackets; louvred shutters. Shallow porch with round columns and moulded capitals supporting a wide moulded cornice which joins string course. Round arched doorway with narrow mouldings and keystone, supported on piers with moulded capitals; wide half-glazed panelled door with very narrow sidelights; fanlight with decorative lead glazing.

E end has a large window to each storey; canted bay window with 12-pane sash to ground floor, over which is a segmental pediment rising into string course. Upper storey has tripartite plain-glazed sash, with bracketed hoodmould and shutters as front. W end has no openings to lower storey, and a round-arched sash offset to L of upper storey, inserted after 1872.

The rear has been altered since 1872, the parallel 2-storey rear range shortened and a flat roof added. Its W side is 2-window, with 2-over-4-pane sashes to R, and a 6-pane sash over a 3-light plain-glazed wooden casement to L. The E side has an added flat-roofed lean-to against ground floor with wooden glazing; to its L is a 4-pane window and to its R a doorway. The upper storey is 3-window with plain-glazed sashes, that to centre with blind round arch and keystone, those flanking with hoodmoulds on scrolled brackets. To rear, ground floor is adjoined by a modern house, R of which is a large wooden window with segmental head; upper storey has eaves stack to L, 2-light small-pane casement under a gablet to centre, and 3-light wooden casement with segmental head to R.

Interior

Inside the entrance, a short corridor with flanking reception rooms leads into a large square stair-hall. These central areas are lined in classical-style panelling, said to have been brought in from elsewhere. Open-well staircase with paired balusters, barley twist to their lower halves, supporting arches; moulded handrails; intricately carved square newel posts, with trailing vines, serpents etc. The balustrading continues around the landing, the posts with foliate pendant finials; arcade on S side, the round arches supported on decorative posts with egg-and-dart moulded capitals. The panelling to the stair-hall is full-height with wide bands of decorative rosettes and an egg-and-dart cornice. To N wall, a stone Tudor-arched fireplace with foliage decoration in spandrels, inside a wooden surround with rosette friezes; above mantelpiece, wooden panelling with recessed arches supported on paired columns. The entrance corridor has panelling up to picture rail level; double panelled doors to W room, the surround with stylised foliage and with a bracketed cornice; single door to E room with bead-and-reel moulding. On 1st floor, the landing has full-height panelling, but this does not continue into the individual rooms, some of which have moulded window surrounds and coving. Light-well to ceiling.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a fine C19 Italianate villa retaining definite architectural character with good interior detail.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29507060

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

• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey