Milton Court, Including Attached Forecourt Walls, Balustrading, Terrace, Piers, Urns and Ball Finials

Details

850/10/61 WESTCOTT ROAD
11-JUN-73 Milton Court, including attached forec
ourt walls, balustrading, terrace, pie
rs, urns and ball finials

(Formerly listed as:
WESTCOTT ROAD
Milton Court)

II*

Originally large house, now offices. Built in 1611 by the Evelyn family as the dower house to their main seat at Wotton House. Some alterations probably c1858 for Douglas Biggar by an unknown architect but greatly altered, enlarged and refenestrated between 1871 and 1880 by William Burges for Lachlan Mackintosh Rate, a wealthy lawyer, banker and philanthropist. The large late C20 north east wing is not of special interest. C17 English bond and C19 Flemish bond brickwork with sandstone window dressings, rendered stringcourse and quoins, C20 tiled roof and six clustered brick chimneystacks. Originally an E-plan building of two storeys and attics five bays with pointed gables but soon after 1857, from which date a photograph survives, these were replaced by curved gables, two storey square bays were inserted into the end bays and two storey further bays with curved gables added at the sides. To the rear a central projection was added with canted bays, a loggia and an oriel window to the stairwell.
EXTERIOR: South west or entrance front. Mainly C17 English bond brickwork. Windows are mainly mullioned to second floor and 3, 4 and 5-light mullioned and transomed casements to ground and first floors. Some windows retain leaded lights. Central full-height projecting porch with round-headed arch and original early C17 doorcase with moulded architrave and door with twelve fielded panels below and sunray design with strapwork design in the spandrels above.
North west or garden front has five curved gables but a mid C19 central projection of seven bays obscures the central three. This has a strapwork parapet to the central window. The other windows are in two 3-light canted bays. Penticed extension to left with three bay loggia with round-headed arches with keystones. Stone full-height bay with leaded lights to left side elevation lighting main staircase. Two bay projecting service extension to right. Service end to north west has s projecting timberframed bay with various types of brick infill. C19 cement balustrading attached to north east corner of front elevation. Attached to the rear elevation is a forecourt wall with cemented balustrading incorporating two piers with urns and a stone terrace with two steps, two urns and ball finials.
INTERIOR: Early C17 features include a very fine oak well staircase with bulbous pilasters and square chamfered newel posts with double ball finials. There are five original carved Jacobean doorcases, two opening out of the staircase on both ground and first floors and one on the other side of the Drawing Room on the first floor. The roof structure with queenposts and collar beams survives although the partitions have been removed. The most interesting C19 features are in the former ground floor Dining Room and first floor Drawing Room and boudoir, all designed by William Burges. The Dining Room has a red and black stencilled decoration ceiling and two 4-centred arched fireplaces, the Drawing Room has a strapwork panelled ceiling with red, black and green stencilled decoration, panelling with frieze and two florid Jacobean style fireplaces and the Boudoir has a painted ceiling with sky and clouds and painted panelling with wild flowers. The paintings only are not considered to be by Burges. Several other rooms retain C19 panelling, fireplaces and window seats.
HISTORY: Milton Court was owned until the 1830s by the Evelyn family. It then passed into the hands of Charles Barclay and a Douglas Biggar who carried out some works with an architect whose name is not known. In 1864 the wealthy lawyer, banker and philanthropist Lachlan Mackintosh Rate bought the house and the family owned it until 1936. During the Second World War W T Henley, a cable manufacturer occupied it and it was also used as offices and residences for London evacuees. In 1965 it was bought by National Employers Life Assurance Company Ltd who covered over many of the decorative features. The building is currently owned by the Unum Group who carried out extensive restoration c1993 and added a late C20 wing.

[ "Buildings of England: Surrey" p368.Burges Notebooks RIBA.
"Victoria County History, Surrey" Vol 3, 1912.
"Country Life" 26 October 1901, p531.
Burges Notebooks RIBA.
Burges Estimate Book and Diary V and A.
"Milton Court: Heritage Regained." Book produced in 1993 by Unum.]


Listing NGR: TQ1514249349

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

404964

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Burges Estimate Book and Diary, Victoria and Albert Museum, ()
Milton Court Heritage Regained, (1993)
Malden, H E, The Victoria History of the County of Surrey, (1912)
Pevsner, N, Nairn, I, The Buildings of England: Surrey, (1962)
Country Life in 26 October, (1901)

Other
Burges Notebooks RIBA,

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.

Print the official list entry