The Burystead

Details

WILBURTON STATION ROAD TL 4874 (West Side)

23/47 The Burystead 5.2.52 GV II*

House, formerly the manor house. Probably c1610 for Sir John Jolles, Alderman of City of London, but some of the features would seem to be of later date. Altered internally later C19. Red brick, English bond and broad mortar courses. On high plinth (see Yew Tree House, Witcham and other Fenland houses eg Hannath Hall, Tydd St Giles). Plain tiled gabled roof with sawtooth eaves cornice. End parapets on kneelers having finials and an apex finial on a corbel all of moulded brick, some repaired. Two ridge stacks to the centre range and one to each wing. Each having two restored octagonal shafts on rectangular base with moulded brick entablature. There is a later side stack to the north wing. Original half-H plan with symmetrical stair turrets in the reentrant angles. Centre range of two storeys. One C18 three light first floor casement and an enlarged ground floor window. Reused red brick in front wall. South stair turret has similar parapetted gables with finials. One casement window to each flight. A doorway in the ground floor is modern. South wing is two storeys and attic. It was probably the family or guest wing. A principal doorway was in the north side wall. Window and door openings where original have splayed reveals and header brick arches. The gable end has an attic and first floor casement and an inserted ground floor window. The windows in the south wall are all C20 wood cross frame casements with leaded lights but some evidence of original openings remains including at first floor a closet window of some size. The rear elevation has four gables including those of the wings. One gable has been substantially rebuilt and all have been repaired. The fenestration is C20 wood cross frame casements, with leaded lights but some of the splayed openings are original and there are relieving arches to the gables. Three gables have straight joint continuous from ground to first floor on either side of the present windows. This suggests that originally there were two storey bay window to the gables. At a fairly early stage these were removed as the brick infill is of C17. The north wing probably contained the service quarters. It is of two storeys and attic and nearly symmetrical with the south wing. There is evidence for window openings, now blocked, and one original remaining window opening in the south wall. This has ovolo mullions and iron stay bars. A piece of timber found when unbricking the window states that it was blocked in 1752. The north stair turret is similar to the south and the doorway at ground floor, although now partly blocked, is probably its original principal entry. The string course which is continued round the entire exterior of the house is here carried over one of the stair turret windows. One of these is also original having an ovolo moulding. Interior: The plan of the house remains intact. At the south end in the ground floor there have been some changes however. The staircases were replaced in C19. The centre block has a large fireplace with shaped back wall and moulded cornice above the hearth opening. This is carried round the side wall of the chimney. The south wing has an anteroom at the east end and larger room with original clunch fireplace except for mantel and frieze. The main hearths have ovolo mullions. The first floor of this wing still retains an intact hearth of clunch. The surround is formed of pilasters on bases with diamond enrichment and having a frieze enriched with raised and fielded panels in similar material. Other rooms have similar hearths with shaped backs but without surrounds. The inglenook hearth is in the north wing and is now blocked. The roof in the south wing and main range is of staggered butt purlin type. That over the north wing has been rebuilt. The house is of particular interest as being externally nearly intact and a good example of a house of the period.

V.C.H. Cambs. Vol. IV Pevsner: Buildings of England, p486

Listing NGR: TL4860274938

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

49515

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, (1953)
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, (1954), 486

End of official list entry

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