Summary
An early 19th century villa, built originally in the grounds of High Cliff. A wing was attached to it in 1922 by the architect Arnold Mitchell, who had purchased it for his own use. He made minor alterations to the villa and refurbished its interior, introducing much decorative plasterwork. He also designed the gateway.
Reasons for Designation
Upper Cobb House, an early-C19 Regency villa that was updated and extended by Arnold Mitchell in the early C20, is listed at Grade II*, for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an important and rare survival of a sub-villa that has a good degree of intactness;
* the building is very well-conceived and is distinguished by its compact and unusual upside-down plan to make the most of its position and the sea views;
* for the high-quality interventions by Arnold Mitchell which are characterised by his interpretation of C17 classical architecture;
* for the textural richness and range of interior features such as fireplaces, internal joinery and decorative plasterwork found throughout the house, some of which date from the original early-C19 phase with other elements introduced in the early C20.
Historic interest:
* for the early-C20 interventions by Arnold Mitchell which are dramatic and theatrical and characterised by his interpretation of the classical architecture of the C17;
* for Mitchell’s standing as a C20 architect working mostly in the classical and Arts and Crafts traditions.
Group value:
* with the pedestrian gateway and Grade-II listed summerhouse which were added by Mitchell, the adjacent Umbrella Cottage and High Cliff House, both listed at Grade II.
History
Upper Cobb House, formerly known as Higher Cliff Lodge and then as Little Cliff, is located on the western outskirts of Lyme Regis. The building is set back slightly from road and situated within a long, narrow, sloping plot with a series of south-facing terraced gardens to the rear. There are views to the sea from the rear of the house and its gardens. It is a relatively compact building, described as a marine villa (Felus, see Sources), that was built in the grounds of High Cliff (listed at Grade II), a large villa of around 1811-1815 situated to the north-east, on the opposite side of Sidmouth Road. There is no evidence of staff accommodation within the house, and the only original service room appears to have been a small kitchen. It is possible that Upper Cobb House was subservient to High Cliff, and was built as a retreat; as a place to entertain away from the main residence; or as a home for family members of the owner of High Cliff (Felus). It was constructed after 1809 since it is not on the First Series Ordnance Survey map (sheet 22, published 1809) but existed probably by the mid-1820s when it appears to be depicted on a watercolour attributed to Thomas Daniell and dated 1824-1826 (Felus). High Cliff was purchased in 1821 by Sir Edward Synge. A sale advertisement for High Cliff from 1825 (Dorset County Chronicle July 1825) mentions a second lot, described as a ‘small …. messuage lying opposite the Mansion House,’ (High Cliff) ‘with useful outhouses, and a walled garden’. This is likely to be Upper Cobb House. In 1829 the lease for the High Cliff estate was bought by John Stein. Ten years later Stein sold High Cliff but retained Upper Cobb House for his mother-in-law (Charmouth Local History Society, see Sources).
The Tithe Map of 1841 depicts Upper Cobb House as a rectangular building with an attached small square structure at its south-west corner. Two abutting buildings (not extant) are shown to the north-east of the house, alongside Sidmouth Road, and there is a small circular structure (Umbrella Cottage) at the north-west corner of the plot. A glasshouse or conservatory had been built against the west side of the house before 1887 (first Epoch OS map), replacing the earlier structure shown on the tithe map. The OS map also depicts a large glasshouse and several other structures in the garden which are no longer extant in their original form.
Upper Cobb House was bought by the successful Arts and Crafts architect Arnold Mitchell and his wife Edith, initially probably as a holiday home, moving there permanently around 1925 or 1926. In 1903 he had built himself a house, called the Sundial, on the seafront in Lyme Regis but it seems that he never lived there, and it was subsequently sold (Sherriff, see Sources). It is unclear when Mitchell purchased Upper Cobb House, with sources referring to 1903 (Felus) or 1916 (Sherriff).
Before establishing his own practice in Harrow in 1886, Arnold Bidlake Mitchell (1864-1944) had been articled to Robert Stark Wilkinson and was then assistant to the successful London practice Ernest George and Peto, amongst others. His commissions included private houses, many of which were in the Home Counties and featured in the contemporary architectural press, and education buildings. He also worked internationally, including a seaside villa for King Leopold II of Belgium. After buying Upper Cobb House, Mitchell added a single-storey wing in 1922 which included a domed billiard room 'of presidential proportions' (Sherriff) to the east side of the house and he refurbished the interior. Ornate plasterwork ceilings were added to several rooms, perhaps carried out by George Bankart or the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts since both had worked previously with Mitchell, though there is no documented attribution for the decoration. Mitchell also undertook some small-scale alterations, including possibly adapting the conservatory on the west side of the house to domestic accommodation. In addition, he built a summerhouse or lookout in the Arts and Crafts style at the southern end of the garden.
Umbrella Cottage (listed at Grade II), which dates from the early C19, was originally within the grounds of, and within the same ownership as Upper Cobb House. It was extended and ornamented by Mitchell and was occupied by one of his daughters and her family. It was sold in the mid-C20 and is a separate dwelling. The Mitchells moved from Upper Cobb House to another property in the town in 1943 (Sherriff). Arnold died the following year. A property advertisement from 1965 describes Upper Cobb House as 'probably the finest home on the Devon-Dorset border' (Country Life).
The house underwent some relatively minor alteration in the late C20 and early C21, including the conversion of a bedroom to a bathroom, changes to several openings, the removal of the columns that supported Mitchell's ceiling in the sitting room and the loss of the early-C20 fire surround in the billiard room. A conservatory has been added at the south-west corner of the house.
Details
A detached villa. Early C19, extended with a wing in 1922 by architect Arnold Mitchell. Minor alterations and internal refurbishment, including extensive decorative plasterwork, also by Mitchell. Later alterations and early-C21 conservatory. Early-C20 gateway by Mitchell.
MATERIALS
The house has stucco or painted plaster walls, constructed probably of stone. The roof coverings are slate and lead, except for the later C19 addition on the west side which has a flat roof clad in copper sheeting. There were originally chimney stacks to the west and east sides; the former has been removed, and there is a further stack serving the early-C20 wing on the east side.
PLAN
The main part of the house is rectangular on plan. To the west side is a square extension of the mid- or late C19 and there is an early-C20 wing to the east. At the south-west corner of the house is an early-C21 conservatory.
EXTERIOR
The house has two storeys with a small cellar. Since it is terraced into the hillside, the front (north) is approached at first-floor level and the ground floor is set within a rectangular open well. The hipped roof has deep, overhanging eaves carried on decorative timber brackets that have ball pendants. At first-floor level is a central entrance which has an early-C19 round-headed doorway with incised and Greek key pattern to the architrave; a panelled door and a semi-circular fanlight. It is approached from a walkway over the well that has arrowhead railings to either side and around the edge of the well. Either side of the doorway is a round-headed sash window with large panes. The ground floor is accessed from stone steps that descend into the well. At this level there is a second entrance doorway that is flanked by flat-headed sash windows. On the north side of the well, and cut into the hillslope, are three small service rooms, one of which was a former coal store.
The south-facing garden front is a three-window range and presents as two storeys. An upswept canopy extends across the elevation supported by trellised supports. It has a boarded underside, and the attached fascia has cut-out geometric motifs. On the ground floor is a large central window with glazing bars and transom lights containing intersecting curved glazing. To either side is a French casement with a Greek pattern motif to each door and a rectangular fanlight with intersecting curved glazing over. On the first floor, the sash window at the centre has a three-centred arched head and to either side is a six-over-six sash window; all have louvred shutters. At the south-west corner is an early-C21 conservatory. The west elevation has a mid- or late-C19 flat-roofed, addition of one storey with parapets to the side walls and three round-headed windows; the central window is a later insertion. On the first floor of the main body of the house are two sash windows; the narrower window to the left was previously a doorway onto the flat roof. The early-C20 single-storey wing to the east elevation has two hipped roofs and breaks forwards at the south-east corner. The fascia has cut-out geometric motifs that matches the canopy fascia and there are two decorative consoles. The three lead rain-water heads are dated 1903, 1911 and 1903 respectively, possibly made by the Bromsgrove Guild and brought from elsewhere. The billiard room windows include French casements, two double corner windows, and a bow window; all of a similar style to the openings in the early-C19 house, including intersecting curved glazing to the top sections. The northern part of the wing has two three-light dormers and a modern door and window in the east elevation. To the first floor of the east elevation of the house is a flat-arched six-over-six sash window and a round-arched window within a flat-arched opening.
INTERIOR
There are early-C19 panelled doors with drop handles and early-C20 finger plates. The windows have shutters. The main entrance is at first-floor level and opens onto a galleried hall that wraps around a central stair well. There are four bedrooms; two on either side of the hall (one altered to an en suite), with a fifth room (currently a bathroom) to the rear opposite the front door. The hall has a plaster-enriched ceiling decorated in a Baroque style, probably made from fibrous plaster which is far lighter than solid plaster, which was added by Mitchell in the late 1910s or 1920s. It consists of concentric oval ring flanked by rectangular panels, all with mouldings of various designs, including egg and dart, modillions with dentils and floral motifs, an enriched floral garland and a ceiling centre of a sunburst design. Three of the bedrooms and the bathroom have dentil cornices, and in the south-east room the fireplace has a plain marble surround with consoles and a tiled firebox. The south-west bedroom has a chimneypiece decorated with olive branches to the jambs, a frieze, a floral bouquet to the centre tablet, and beaded panels with floral paterae to the end blocks. The inset and mantel are marble. The Rococo-style over-mirror, which may be early C19, has a beaded frame within an eared architrave of egg and dart mouldings, flower clusters to the shoulders and to the upper centre where a pair of birds, possibly doves, nestle; all of plaster. The cornice has floral and foliate motifs and a similar scallop pattern to the keyplate cover of the adjacent bathroom door. The oval ceiling cartouche has a wide, Rococo-style garland with sunbursts projecting out towards the edges of the room; the central part is undecorated. The staircase has stick balusters, moulded handrails and curtail ends at ground-floor level. There is applied decorative metalwork to the curve of the stairs at first-floor level and to the curtail ends.
On the ground floor, doorways topped with delicate half-moon fanlights either side of the staircase lead into a semi-circular hall on the north side of the house. This has curved walls and four doorways: one to the cellar; two that have curved architrave and doors; while the fourth has a probable early-C20 doorcase with an oversized entablature, a broken pediment and fluted and flower decorated columns forming the jambs. The doors all have six panels. The fourth doorway opens onto a vestibule which contains the early-C19 ground-floor entrance door which has a swan-neck pediment and Greek key pattern to the jambs. The dining room is situated on the east side of the hall. It has an early-C19, Adam-style fireplace with rosettes to the end blocks, a neo-classical scene of two figures to the centre tablet and jambs that have reeding and flower bud carvings. There is also a shell canopy niche and a moulded ceiling rose. On the opposite side of the hall is a narrow room (formerly the kitchen) and beyond this is the single-storey addition which is currently a kitchen. This has a coffered ceiling and French doors with applied ornate bronze glazing bars of probable early- to mid-C20 date. The ground floor in the rear (south) part of the house overlooks the gardens and the sea. It was originally several rooms that may have been divided by moveable partitions, and which Mitchell opened up to create one large reception room. It contains a probable early-C20 grey marble chimneypiece with reeded columns and Ionic capitals to the jambs and a dentilled entablature, and a brass inset. The ceiling has three rectangular compartments of deeply-modelled relief plasterwork below the original ceiling. Each has a frame of egg and dart moulding, a heavily-enriched modillion with floral motifs in the interstices, a garland, and at the centre is an ornate sunburst pattern. The outside faces of each compartment have bead and reel mouldings. Columns formerly supported the ceiling but have been removed. The east wing added by Mitchell contains the former billiard room. This has an ornate domed plaster ceiling some 7m in diameter which is supported on baseless columns with hybrid Ionic capitals. Its circular frames are decorated with mouldings of floral motifs; guttae and recessed beaded panels; acanthus leaves; garlands and bay leaves. At the centre is a sunburst motif and a glass chandelier decorated with daffodils and leaves, probably Murano. At the corners of the room are foliate plaster motifs. The fireplace is early C21.
The roof structure is understood (DHD Structures) to have king post trusses, a single row of purlins and common rafters.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES
The front (north) boundary wall to Sidmouth Road contains a semi-circular arched opening which appears to have been inserted later. This contains a semi-circular wrought-iron pedestrian gate and side screens. The gate was manufactured by the Bromsgrove Guild around 1900 and was installed at the entranceway to Mitchell’s own house, The Orchard in Harrow. It is shown in watercolour by J Walter West which features in a 1903 article about The Orchard (The Studio). Mitchell subsequently brought the gate to Upper Cobb House where it was installed in the front wall. Replacement gates of a similar design have since been introduced at The Orchard.
