Highnam Court

Details

HIGHNAM SO 7819-7919 9/30 Highnam Court 10-1-55 GV I Country house. Said to be 1658, for W. Cook; altered 1760's, 1772 for J. Guise; and C19 for Sir B.W. Guise; altered c1840, 1855 by L. Vulliamy for T. Gambier-Parry, 1869 by J. Brandon for same. English bond brickwork, ashlar dressings, artificial stone to some openings, slate roof. Nine-window garden front, 2 1/2 storeys, 2 rooms deep, single-storey wing across back, extending 4 windows to east; 2-room wide service wing to rear, 2 storeys, 5 windows long. Garden front: symmetrical, slightly recessed 5-window centre; stone quoins to angles. Centre, double French doors, semi- circular single-pane fanlight; stone pilasters each side with swags and fruit in high relief, projecting keystone, broken, scrolled pediment, coat of arms with baroque surround. Each side 4 sash windows, 6 pane, centre panes widest, moulded stone surround, pulvinated frieze: end pairs with flush panelled doors below. Moulded string course above; 20-pane sashes, lower sash smaller, in moulded stone surrounds, cornice over. Central stone niche, shell head, moulded architrave swelling out at foot, keystone: statue of female (statue of Hercules in garden wall, q.v., considered originally to have been in this niche). Wide, moulded eaves on consoles, box eaves gutter, hipped roof, central lead flat: 5 dormers, outer 16-pane sashes, lead cheeks, segmental head roofs: central dormer 2-light casement, cut into roof at foot, otherwise similar. Panelled stone chimneys with moulded caps centre rear and on ridge at ends centre recess. Service wing well set back on left, Billiard Room on right. Entrance front: on left tetrastyle portico in antis, unfluted Ionic columns, rusticated piers each side, up 3 stone steps with nosings: pediment with mutules. Rear of porch, rendered wall lined as ashlar, double doors, each 3 panels, up stone step, narrow, panelled pilaster each side, console to cornice over. Two-pane sash each side, moulded surround. To left of portico, plain brick wall, plinth, rusticated piers either side of chimney breast, stone quoins. Dentil cornice, ball finials ends, chimney with consoles to foot, moulded cap. To right of portico, moulded plinth, 2 semi-circular headed sash windows, marginal lights, fruit and leaves in high relief on surround, decorative keystone with shield over, all in reconstructed stone. Rusticated pier between and to right of windows, urns over. To right service wing. Behind, rear wall of main block: scattered windows: Venetian sash window in recess with elliptical head, stone surround: to right recess with semi- circular head and stone surround, line of earlier quoins carried up above jambs (infilled original recess). Eaves, roof and 5 scattered dormers as front, 2 chimneys on ridge as front, central brick chimney from eaves. Interior: panelled shutters to windows to main rooms ground and first floor garden front and returns: 6-panel mahogany doors to front corner rooms ground floor; moulded dado to end rooms ground floor. Entrance hall 4-leaf door to Music Room, each 3 panels with dummy fielding, sliding 3-panel doors to Billiard Room wing, marble fireplace surround, moulded plaster cornice. Music Room, moulded surrounds to panelled doors, coloured marble fireplace, musical instructions in high relief plaster on walls, with rococo surrounds. Gold Room beyond, moulded surrounds to doors, anthemion and urn cornices over. Marble fireplace surround, with caryatids and leaf carving over: marble buffet opposite, supported caryatids, gilt surround to mirror over. High relief rococo plaster ceiling, with lion, eagle, dolphin and phoenix in corners. Central room garden front, segmental arch to recesses each side fireplace, fruit and leaf carving to surrounds. Wood surround and overmantel to fireplace, terms each side, carved panels said to be C16 after Durer, set in C19 frame framed by bishop and priest. Moulded cornice. Green Room (left, garden front), marble fireplace with rococo carving. C18 fireplace surround to room behind, dentil cornice. Main stairs 1772-73, stone floor with black inserts, cantilevered stone stair around open well, shaped soffit to treads, decorative iron balusters, moulded handrail, wreath at foot. Arches to first floor passage: Tuscan pilasters to Venetian window with keystone to centre arch: ornate dentil cornice. Old stairs stone for bottom four treads: wood above, dogleg, heavy turned balusters, moulded string and handrail, square newels, pendants below, ball finials. Bolection moulding to doors of old stairs and panelling to stairs first floor. Elliptical timber arch with strapwork carving over. First floor 2 fireplaces with rococo carving east end, 2 Adam style centre. Some 2 panel doors in attics. Cellars, heavy chamfer to ceiling beams with bar stop. Earlier house burnt in Civil War battle, 1643. Architect to present house not known. Original entrance to garden front. House turned round by Gambier-Parry 1840's, single-storey wing added across back; early C19 service wing also extended. Billiard Room added 1869. Important example of mid C17 house, with fine rococo plasterwork in 2 rooms. Forms group with garden features and church, q.v. (R. Bigland, Historical...Collections, 1791; Gloucs. R.O., D 326 F 2; A. Oswald, article in Country Life, CVII, 1950; D. Verey, Gloucestershire, the Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1970; V.C.H. Gloucestershire, X, 1972; H. Colvin, Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, 1978)

Listing NGR: SO7935419329

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

134321

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 2 The Vale and The Forest of Dean, (1970)
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Gloucester, (1972)
Bigland, R, Historical Monumental and Genealogical Collections Relative to the County of Gloucestershire, (1889)
Colvin, H M, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, (1978)
Country Life in Country Life, (1950)

Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 16 Gloucestershire,

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