Gilston Park 400 Metres Along Drive West South West From Cumber Land Lodge

Details

TL 4412 GILSTON GILSTON LANE (west side)

9/1 Gilston Park 400 metres along drive 24.1.67 WSW from Cumberland Lodge

- II*

Country House. 'IH' '1852' on entrance porch. By P C Hardwick for John Hodgson Esq (1.805-82) (contract drawings in HRO signed by H and R Holland annotated that house originally to be in red brick with stone dressings). Tower altered, E door formed, smoking room and conservatory added and servants' wing extended to W by A W Blomfield 1887. Bay window on N of entrance, raised to 2 storeys in 1903 by A C Blomfield (HRO drawings)). A compactly planned, medium sized, country house of coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, in Tudor style. Steep slated roofs with moulded parapets, dormers and gable parapets. Tall ashlar chimneys with moulded caps and bases. Steep reticulated leadwork roofs to octagonal turrets. Symmetrically planned, 2 storeys and attics, double-pile house with staircase and library to N and S of the large entrance hall in the W range. Dining room and drawing room formerly to N and S of a central vestibule in the E range, now linked as one long room. 3 storeys stone and slate servants' wing attached on N with walled yard beyond with turret game larder at corner, continuing decorative Gothic treatment. On W front servants' wing projects considerably with twin crow-stepped gables, 5-light and 3-light mullioned and transomed stone windows and relieving arches, and recessed central door. A higher, battlemented square clock tower with corner fleche, masks the junction with the W front of the house. An irregular composition of 2 storeys and attics. A 2 storeys battlemented bay window (upper part 1903) adjoins the tower and 2 gables flank the central 3 storeys porch. There is a large battlemented oriel window on the righthand gable. The 2- light mullioned and transomed windows to the central entrance hall have armorial stained glass and there is stained glass in the upper lights of other windows mostly showing birds in naturalistic settings. The lower part of the porch is of ashlar, panelled between 4 tall octagonal shafts with spiral moulded tops carried above.a crenellated capping to support 4 carved stone animals supporting shields. Tudor-arched entrance door with 6- panelled doors and cusped and sunk spandrels over. Carved coat of arms in relief over, with monogram and date to left and right. Irregular 2-gabled S front with large, stone roofed, canted bay window. E front of house is symmetrical with 3 cross windows on 1st floor, to each side of canted projecting 2 storeys battlemented bay. Long, 7-light, buttressed and battlemented, single storey, flat roofed, rectangular, stone bay windows flank the garden entrance formed in 1887, with glass canopy and steps. The straight moulded parapet runs up into a steep central gable and is interrupted by stone gabled dormers, with corner and central finials, on each side. Each is flanked by 2 gabled dormers with cusped bargeboards set back on the roof slope. A higher octagonal turret adjoins the N end where the picturesquely grouped service buildings form a background to a row of assorted tall single storey structures extending the E front of the house. In order these are: the original gabled and bargeboarded billiard room with large rooflight in the form of a gabled louvre; a polygonal buttressed smoking room of 1887 (the polygonal kitchen of 1852 rebuilt?) with pointed slate roof with gabled vestry and crocketed finial; and a glass and iron conservatory, probably of 1887, with low stone walls, geometrical hipped roof with raised lantern. Grotto pool and quatrefoil pierced terra-cotta benching within. Baronial entrance hall with panelled timber ceiling and stone hooded Gothic fireplace. Original library fittings with heraldic glass in bay window. Wide wooden staircase with arcaded balustrade and heavy Tudor octagonal posts with ogee caps at foot. Fire surround in dining room has C16 renaissance wreathed roundel heads carved on inset panels probably from New Place. Drawing room has geometric moulded plaster ceiling and carved wooden overmantle in Jacobean style c1852. An outstanding mid C19 country house in Tudor style by P C Hardwick virtually unchanged and with original interiors. (Pevsner (1977) 146: 2 portfolios of drawings in HRO).

Listing NGR: TL4410712906

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

159916

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 146

End of official list entry

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