Sarsden House

Details

SARSDEN SP22SE 7/188 Sarsden House 27.8.57

GV II*

Country house. Rebuilt for William Walter after a fire in 1689; some internal remodelling by Humphry Repton c.1796 and further alterations by his son, G.S. Repton in 1823-5, carried out for John Langston and his son, James Haughton Langston, respectively. Limestone ashlar with rusticated quoins; open-well hipped stone slate roofs. Main block square around central open well (later infilled by Humphry Repton) with projecting wings at right-angles to rear forming U-plan. 2 storeys and attic with continuous moulded floor band and plinth. Modillion eaves cornice, that to front Corinthian with egg and dart moulding beneath. 1:3:1 bays, centre section forming slightly projecting pedimented break with quoins and continuation of cornice to plain pediment. Glazing bar sashes in eared architraves. Balustraded portico added to centre by G.S. Repton has 4 pairs of Ionic columns supporting moulded entablature with triglyph frieze. Half-glazed double doors to centre in late C17 enriched doorcase with carved garlands and husked wheat to sides and bearded head as keystone; consoles to cornice with egg and dart moulding. Pedimented dormer 5 (possibly late C17) in roof slope to left and right and prominent rusticated ridge stack with dentilled capping to right; arrow-shaped weathervane behind ridge to centre. East front in 9 bays with glazing bar sashes in plain moulded architraves, some enlarged including to 15-paned sash to sixth bay from left on first floor. Infilled window to far left on first floor. Doorway in sixth bay from left similar to that on entrance front but retaining segmental broken pediment; 6-panel door (opening to bottom 4 panels only) in fluted pilastered wood surround. 4 integral lateral stacks far left with 4 rebated shafts, left with triple rebated shafts, 2 to right paired and rebated, all with moulded capping. Ridge stack, like that to entrance front, on right and another to left on line with far left integral stack. Roughly symmetrical arrangement of 8 pedimented dormers in roof slope. Round-headed chamfered arch with plain entablature forming continuation of floor band at right-angles to left of third window from left links house to north-west corner of Church of St. James (q.v.). Late C18/early C19 two-storey service range projecting at right-angles to east on south has hipped roof with plain parapet. Glazing bar sashes including tripartite window on ground floor to east, and integral lateral stack with 5 rebated shafts on south side. Single-storey hip-roofed parallel projection on south also has tripartite sash window to east. Flat-roofed porch (Probably c.1825) in angle between service and main ranges. West front. In 8 slightly irregularly-spaced bays has glazing bar sashes in plain moulded architraves. Full-length balustraded loggia by G.S. Repton supported on 5 coupled Ionic columns with single Ionic columns at each end, includes canted bay window with 5 glazing bar sashes at left end. Glazing bar sashes also under loggia, left with panelled extension to bottom forming French window (c.p. Sarsden Glebe). 6 pedimented dormers in roof slope and roughly central rusticated ridge stack with dentilled capping. Attached to right end and flush with loggia is conservatory also added by G.S. Repton on site of earlier range. Double-span glass roof concealed by balustraded parapet at same level as that of loggia; nine 32-paned glazing bar sashes to west and 4 to south side, all in plain moulded architraves; wide corner pilasters. South side presenting U-plan (including conservatory) to garden has glazing bar sashes and pedimented dormers in roof slope to all ranges. Interior. Staircase reached through doorway in east front has open string with 3 slim irontwist brass balusters to each tread. Mahogany handrail, wreathed to bottom with irontwist newel. Simple plaster cove. Round-headed arch leads to central rotunda, the work of Humphry Repton: this has 8 Ionic Roman columns supporting simple dentilled cornice. Plain twice-sunk coffered dome with plaster guilloche decoration to ribs. Stained glass lantern with cortical plain-glazed top light. Entrance hall to north of rotunda has Roman Doric distyle in antis screen to one side. Room to left (morning room), largely remodelled by G.S.Repton, has white marble fireplace having panelled pilasters with husks to sides and frieze of grapes and spread eagle. Double-darted egg and dart plaster cove to ceiling. Room to right of entrance (library) has Corinthian marble columns in antis forming columns to each end but not to large bay. White marble fireplace with frieze of Vesuvius erupting by moonlight probably by G.S. Repton. Plain plaster cove to ceiling with delicate guilloche moulding. Library leads to ante-room on south, which in turn leads to drawing room, both with white marble fireplaces. Elaborate white marble fireplace in dining room to south of rotunda. First floor. Corner of corridor at north end has small unadorned groin vaults. Bedrooms generally very plain with C19 cornices. Stout butt-purlin trusses, probably of 1689, to roof. Conservatory has elliptical trellised recess with wood bench to each end. Cast-iron columns and roof trusses. An engraving of the north front in Kennett's Parochial Antiquites (1695) shows it to have been of 2:3:2 bays, having central pediment with foliage carved in high relief flanked by oeils de boeuf. Formal gardens lay to the north and west. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p752; Colvin (1978), pp.679-80; Nigel Temple: 'Sarsden, Oxfordshire'; Journal of Garden History, Vol.6, No.2 (1986), pp.89-111 RIBA Drawings Collection (G.S. Repton additions): K2/11, 1-3) [2638]

Listing NGR: SP2891423006

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

254083

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Sherwood, J, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, (1974), 752
Colvin, H M, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, (1978)
Garden History in Garden History, (1986)

Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 34 Oxfordshire

End of official list entry

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