Bonython Manor House

Details

SW 62 SE CURY

3/11 Bonython Manor House (formerly listed - as Bonython House)

10.7.57 II*

Country house. Circa 1790 probably incorporating walls of earlier house in rear wing and possibly on old foundations at front. Built for John Trevenen, possibly by William Wood, a pupil of Thomas Edwards. Granite ashlar to front, otherwise rendered and painted. Hipped tiled roofs with parapet to front, granite ashlar chimneys; one stack over each side wall and 2 lateral stacks over right-hand wall of rear wing. Overall L-shaped plan of double depth house to front and service wing to rear of right-hand side. Main house has 2 equal reception rooms flanking central entrance hall leading to large central rear stair hall with secondary reception rooms to left and right. Through passage separates main house from 3-storey service wing 2-room plan deep and 1-room wide with service stair near angle. The service wing is possibly the surviving upper end (hall and inner room) of a circa late medieval house with 2 lateral hearths but remodelled and heightened in the late C18. A circa 1805 picture shows a narrower low thatched extension at the rear end of the wing, since removed. 2 storeys over basement. Symmetrical 2:1:2 bay south-west front with central entrance bay slightly broken forward and surmounted by triangular pediment. Basement as plinth with dressed granite lintels over windows. Shallow arches with projecting keystones to bays left and right. Parapet over moulded cornice, plain coping and ball finials over corners. Central bay has wide doorway spanned by elliptical arch rusticated jambstones and voussoirs; double panelled doors flanked by original patterned glazed sidelights and with original spoked and elliptically glazed fanlight. Venetian window over with fanlight glazed lunette. Otherwise original 12-pane hornless sashes with much crown glass except for later copies to basement. A flight of converging granite steps bridges basement courtyard to front doorway, wrought iron balustrade to either side adjoining stanchions linked by chains surmounting granite coped basement courtyard retaining wall. Rear has C18 sashes with glazing bars, Venetian window to main stair and round-headed window to service stair. Interior retains most of its C18 carpentry and joinery details and plasterwork, much of which is of a very fine quality. Highly enriched complex moulded cornices to front reception rooms and entrance hall; panelled walls and elliptical arched niche to right-hand room; distyle in antae elliptical arched doorway with fluted columns and acanthus capitals between entrance hall and stair hall. Geometric cantilevered open-well open-string stick baluster stair with mahogany handrail wreathed over curtail bottom step; treads with cornices, shaped bracket ends and guttae. Ceiling over stair with modillions to cornice. Moulded cornices to principal chambers including first floor chamber in service wing and chair rails to most rooms. Original chimney-pieces in 2 of the chambers, otherwise fireplaces are later replacements including fine circa mid C18 chimney-piece inserted to basement and circa 1840's chimney-piece with ornate iron grate in left-hand reception room. Original doors with door furniture and window shutters with inner bead moulding. Fanlight in internal partition between inner vestibule and room behind right-hand room; wine cellar behind left-hand basement with its original tiered niches, and adjoining to right is a pantry with dowelled ventilator over partition. Rear ground floor service room has large lateral hearth with bread oven. The Bonythons are first recorded in 1277 and can trace a continuous line of descent from 1370. Reconstructed circa 1600 by Reskmer Bonython and sold by Richard Bonython in 1720. Bought by Captain Joseph Lyle in 1837, 2 descendants of whom (sisters) married 2 brothers of the well known architectural family, which included James Wyatt PRA and Sir Jeffrey Wyattville among its members, and is still held by a descendant of the same family, but the name later reverting to Lyle under a name and arms clause condition made in a will dated 1837.

Listing NGR: SW6965421138

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

65170

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Robinson, J, Notes on the History of the Lyle family, ()

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.