Details
1281/0/10028 CANTLEY LANE
Doncaster
Handley Cross
II
House, 1924-5 by L. Rome Guthrie for Lt. Cl. Ruck Keene. Rendered brick with stone/reconstituted stone facings, two stories under plain clay tile roof in late Arts and Crafts style.
Plan: main roof pitched to front and back, with two gabled forward facing projecting cross wings and three gables to rear, with attached outbuildings to left.
Facade: Two gabled cross wings facing front to right and three bay service wing to left. Central gable taller than right hand one and has external chimney stack on right hand side. Solid wood front door with Tudor arch, hoodmould above. 3-light window between door and chimney, mullioned and leaded with hoodmould. Right hand gable end has 4-light window in the same style. First floor windows match in size but are plainer with square tops and no hoodmould. On left return of central gable, 3-light mullioned and leaded window to ground and first floor. To left, 2-light mullioned leaded window with flat top and no hoodmould, then a gap before another 2-light in the same style. First floor has 4-light and 3-light window in the same style immediately below the eaves.
Right return has ground floor 3-light leaded mullioned window with Tudor arches and hoodmould to the side of the wing, a 4-light similar window in the gable end ground floor and a 4-light window above matching those at the front.
Left return has side entrance, blocked, and both ground and first floor windows in the plainer style. Gabled open porch to side door, continuous with tile-roofed open arcade along side of house, which joins single storey outbuildings forming open-fronted courtyard to left of house. Outbuildings are in red brick, garden wall bond, with plain clay tiled roofs, hipped at ends of left hand range. Original wooden doors, end ridge stack on left hand range.
Rear has three gables, right hand one projecting, with external stack in corner of right gable, second external stack between left gable and end of house, and third between second and third gable. Windows, ranging from one to 6-lights, in plainer style. To right, rear of outbuilding range extends, terminating in tall boiler chimney stack, all in brick. Later single storey outbuilding in brick at rear of right gable, not of special interest.
INTERIOR: Main entrance lobby opening via original wooden door with iron strap hinges to entrance hall with parquet floor. Fireplace in front wall gone, but doors, door furniture, windows and window furniture original. Stairs with carved wooden splat balusters and square newels with carved wooden tops. To right, study with corner 1950s fireplace, parquet floor. In rear corner, former drawing room, now dining room, with later tiled fireplace, parquet floor. To rear, former dining room, now sitting room, parquet floor, original fitted cupboard to left of Minster fireplace, door to kitchen. Kitchen remodelled from original kitchen and pantry, but retaining windows and built-in cupboards which may be original. Doors to a further room, formerly the maid's room, and rear hall original in a different style to those in the non-service areas. Original board for servant call system above door. Rear hall with back stairs having plain stick balusters, fitted cupboards, cloakroom and store-rooms all original with matching doors, and plank side door (boarded on outside) to outbuildings area. Door to front hall. First floor: broad upper hall joining two sets of stairs, with a dividing door between main rooms and servants quarters. Main bedrooms unaltered apart from loss of fireplaces, with original bathroom in place though with modern fittings. Rear rooms remodelled with extra bathrooms added.
The house closely follows the plans drawn by the architect. The outbuilding range is not shown on the plan, but its presence is indicated in the elevation drawing of the north end.
This is a very well preserved example of a 1920s architect designed house, incorporating strong elements of Arts and Crafts style along with modern fittings such as bathrooms and cloakrooms, while maintaining a clear division between family and servants. It has suffered from very little alteration in its external appearance or internal layout.
