Details
SP 92 NW SOULBURY
4/150 Stockgrove park,
attached swimming pool,
walls, gates and
gatepiers
GV II
Country house now school. Begun 1929 and completed 1938 by W Curtis Green for
F M Kroyer-Kielberg. Red brick in Flemish bond, limestone dressings; hipped pan-
tile roofs; brick ridge stacks. Extended U plan. Free Georgian style. 2 storeys
and attic. Entrance front to courtyard has 3-bay centre which breaks forward and
has central double-leaf glazed doors, fanlight to round-arched head, stone
surround with spandrel panels, plain Tuscan pilasters flanking doorway and
supporting entablature and broken segmental pediment framing elaborate cartouche
with family arms, crest and supporters. Small narrow 6-pane sash windows either
side of door with flat-arched heads. Square 12-pane sashes to 1st floor
immediately below moulded stone cornice, and brick pilaster strips to angles.
20-pane sash window to main block to ground floor left of centre, blank window of
similar size to ground floor right, both with flat-arched heads and key blocks,
star-shaped ornamental brick panels above and pairs of square sash windows to
1st floor left and right of centre. Projections to re-entrant angles housing
staircases which have a circular window to ground floor with key block, and
24-pane sash windows to 1st floor. 6-window wings frame courtyard with similar
20-pane sashes to ground floor and similar square sashes to 1st floor. Short
return wings define courtyard with similar windows to ground and 1st floors except
for door to courtyard side of right return wing near inner corner with overlight
and flat-arched head, and circular window to 1st floor above with keyblock.
courtyard is closed by gatescreen on low stone-coped brick walls attached to outer
angles of return wings. Railings flank double-leaf cast-iron gates and wrought-
iron gatepiers with elaborate overthrow: ironwork by Birmingham Guild. House has
brick plinth, continuous moulded stone cornice, pair of roof dormers to entrance
wing either side of centre with segmental-arched pediments and 12-pane sashes and
dormers to side wings with straight heads and 8-pane windows. Asymmetrical timber
bell turret to outer end of right courtyard wing with multi-paned windows to base
which has pilastered corners, tall bell-chamber openings with round-arched heads
flanked by Tuscan pilasters, urns with flame finials to corner of base, ogee lead
roof with channelled angles and tall finial in the shape of a pawn. Principal SE
elevation to garden has central 2-storey canted bay flanked by glazed garden doors
with overlights and segmental-arched heads. 24-pane sashes to ground floor with
similar heads, 16-pane sashes to 1st floor with flat-arched heads. Central 1st
floor window of bay has stone keyblock with wreath framing date 1929, and large
square stone panel above carved in relief with sailing ship. Plain stone-coped
(cont.)
(cont.)
parapet which is slightly stepped up above relief. Brick pilaster strips to outer
angles, crowned by moulded plinths of tall stone urns with flame finials. Roof
dormers behind and projecting above parapet. Steps either side of bay lead down
to terrace and join single flight down to lawn. South-west garden elevation has
asymmetrical composition and is divided into two planes. Projecting half has
central 2-storey, semicircular bow. left half is recessed and has 2-storey
canted bay and 2-storey, 2-window projecting wing to far left. Similar windows to
main garden front. Corresponding wing to far side of courtyard is a service.
Swimming pool is attached to right courtyard wing and flanks right side of
approach to courtyard. Pool has double-slope roof, upper slopes glazed, and rows
of dormer windows. Entrance to gable end in porch flanked by low hipped roofed
projections and tall 28-pane sash window above entrance with eared moulded stone
surround and segmental-arched head with key block. Circular window to shaped
stone-coped gable with urn and finial to apex. Interior: vestibule has 'T' plan,
stone-paved floor, Ancaster stone dado and pilasters and plaster tunnel vault to
en#ance bay, groin vault within. Hall is divided by oak fluted Ionic column
screen, oak panelling to walls punctuated by fluted pilasters. 3 doors lead to
former dining room with moulded wood surrounds and pulvinated friezes with central
plaques. That to middle door has eared surround, carved brackets supporting pedi-
ment and a hare to frieze plaque. Those either side have cornices, grouse to left
frieze plaque and salmon to right. Eared wood chimney-piece opposite, with marble
slips, pulvinated acanthus frieze, brackets to shelf and central plaque with putti
holding goat. Hall is open to staircase: open well stair of oak with fat
balusters on urn feet and square newel posts with elaborate vase finials over-
flowing with fruit and flowers, on which pairs of birds are feeding. Former
dining room has bolection-moulded panelling with acanthus leaf frieze and round-
headed niches either side of early C18 style carved stone chimney-piece. Doors
from hall have eared wood surrounds with segmental pediments. Stylized neo-
classical style plasterwork to ceiling. Principal corridor has plaster tunnel
which is punctuated by moulded stone doorways. Business room, now office, has mid
C18 style chimney-piece of stripped pine with swags. Library has walnut panelling
with simple Corinthian pilasters , inlay patterns, and fitted bookshelves. Plain
Sienna marble chimney-piece outlined in black marble with black marble hearth,
shelf, and scalloped shelf back panel. Coved plaster ceiling. Parquet floors to
principal rooms. Secondary staircases have open-well stairs and fretwork
balustrades. Swimming pool has cantilevered wood balcony above entrance from
house with fretwork balustrade. Rectangular piers with bracketed capitals support
barrel-vaulted roof with clerestorey lighting. Floors, pool and walls are lined
with original blue tiles. Principal bedroom suite has Art-Deco style panelling to
sitting room and fitted polygonal cabinet to window pier and black radiator boxes
to window reveals with metal grilles. original fittings to bathroom with chrome-
plated mounts. The carving of finials to newels of main stair are by J Armitage.
Other carving and plasterwork by L A Turner.
(Country Life, Sept 30 1939, pp 334-7; W Curtis Green R.A. 1875-1960 (Exhibition
catalogue) Jan 1978.)
Listing NGR: SP9161829569
