St Catherine's Court

Details

ST 77 SE ST. CATHERINE'S

2/163 St. Catherine's Court

1.2.56 I

G.V.

Court or manor house, possibly incorporating parts of a priory grange. C16, possibly incorporating older fragments; altered early - mid C17, for William Blanchard; C19 and c.1900 by C.E. Bateman. Rubble with freestone quoins and dressings; stone slate roof with coped raised verges; ashlar stacks with cornice, diagonal on east end. 2 storeys and attics in 3 steep gables which have a saddleback coping and ball finials on stems. Four cross windows on ground floor, the outer ones are of 4-lights with king mullions and the inner ones are 2-lights; two 3-light windows on first floor; all in ovolo moulded surrounds; relieving arches and continuous string courses over lower 2 floors. Central 2 storey ashlar porch with canted sides; round-headed doorway with keystone, imposts and roundels in the spandrels; flanking Tuscan columns on pedestals and triglyph frieze; inner plank studded door in ashlar doorcase; the angled sides have shell headed niches and the straight sides are pierced with balustrading, on the first floor is a 3:1:4:1:3 light cross window with a panel of arms and a balustraded parapet over. At the east end is a wing known as the former chapel: 4 panelled ashlar buttresses on north side; the east gable end has a late C19 arcaded loggia on the ground floor and an oriel window. The rear elevation has been extensively altered and most of the eastern part is early C20, including a conservatory which has Tuscan columns, a balustraded parapet and semi-circular headed windows. Interior. Main hall (north west): much C17 glass in square, diamond and lozenge-shaped quarries; ashlar fireplace in ogee and hollow moulded surround with a 4-centred head and moulded mantelshelf; rear door in an ogee-step hollow moulded surround. Dining hall (north east): ashlar fireplace with 4-centred head and in an ogee moulded and reserved chamfered surround, plain frieze and moulded cornice, decorative overmantel with reeded Ionic pilasters. The central west room has an ashlar fireplace and ogee-hollow moulded surround and with a 4-centred head, fluted frieze and moulded cornice. Drawing room (south-west): late C17 plaster ceiling with a central oval and borderwork of fruit, vegetables and vines, square and rectangular side panels. Library (south east): 1915 with fine copy of early C17 ceiling. First floor centre (north): C17 panelling and moulded plaster frieze with figures holding shields and circles. Blanchard Room (north west): C17 and restored panelling; enriched plaster frieze with fantastic animals and shields, one with initials "WB/S" (William Blanchard), over west window; ashlar fireplace with 4-centred head and in an ovolo moulded surround with corbelled-out head. Centre west room has bolection moulded panelling and fireplace. (Country Life, 4, 24.XII.1898; 13, 18.IV.1903; 20, 24.X.1906; 20, 1.XII.1906. N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England : North Somerset and Bristol, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST7778970204

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

407586

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol, (1958)
Country Life in 1 December, (1906), 20
Country Life in 18 May, (1903), 13
Country Life in 24 December, (1898), 4
Country Life in 24 October, (1906), 20

Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic interest in England, Part 1 Avon,

End of official list entry

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