History

Bettisfield Park was the seat of the Hanmer family and is a house of at least C16 origin. A new S entrance front was built in the late C18, probably by Samuel Wyatt of London. In the mid C19 there were further additions, including a new entrance on the E side, an Italianate tower, and a Tudor-style tower with French pavilion roof.

The Stables was built in 1787 (date on building), probably with the extension of the house. It was converted to a dwelling in the late C20.

Exterior

A 2-storey former stable and coach house block of hand-moulded brick and slate roof on sawtooth eaves, its gables and pediment with freestone coping, moulded kneelers and finials. A central wooden cupola is under a steep swept conical roof with weathervane. The S-facing front has short return walls at the ends, giving a U-plan. The main 8-bay front has openings grouped 3 2 3, with pedimented centrepiece. The 2 central depressed arches to the former vehicular bays have now infilled with dwarf walls and glazing. To the R and L are boarded doors under round-headed radial-glazed iron-frame overlights, and then 2 round-headed small-pane iron-frame windows. In the upper storey is a central round-headed recess framing a small oculus. To the R of centre are 3 round-headed former loft doorways with small-pane wood-framed glazing. To the L of centre are 2 similar windows either side of a former pitching eye now glazed. The central pediment incorporates a date in raised numerals, and a round clock by Joyce of Whitchurch.

Symmetrical return walls to the L and R have central boarded doors with overlights, flanked by round-headed windows, details similar to the main range. The upper storeys have blocked round-headed windows flanking a central pitching eye, blocked to the L-hand wall, boarded to the R-hand. The R-hand (E) gable end has a large blind round arch incorporating a blind pitching eye. The L-hand (W) gable end has a similar arch above which is a blocked narrow vent. In front of the wall is a concrete mounting block.

The L outer wall has 5 inserted windows in the lower storey, ventilators with cast iron grilles between storeys, inserted oriel window upper L and a diamond-pattern breather. The R outer wall has similar cast iron grilles, a central pitching eye now glazed, and glazed doors upper R. The rear also has modern windows and stacks, but retains 2 pitching eyes. It incorporates a central advanced bay.

Interior

Modernised interior.

Reasons for Listing

Listed grade II* as an imposing stable and coach house block well converted to domestic accommodation, the centrepiece of the C18 and C19 service buildings at Bettisfield Park.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17744536

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)