Summary
A mid-sized country house of around 1828, by Thomas Frederick Hunt (1790-1831), extended in the late C19 or early C20, and again in the later C20.
Reasons for Designation
Daneshurst, Danehill, a mid-sized country house of around 1828, by Thomas Frederick Hunt (1790-1831), extended in the late C19 or early C20, and again in the later C20, is listed for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an early and good quality example of a Tudor Revival country house of 1828, by the influential architect T F Hunt;
* elements of the early C19 interior survive well and the architectural evolution of the building is illustrated by later Arts and Crafts-type fixtures and fittings;
* the plan of the entrance, and principal rooms is legible;
* although the 1980s extension to the rear is of large scale and little interest, the principal elevations of the earlier house are still visible, particularly from the south, west and the late-C19 extension to the east.
Historic interest:
* T F Hunt specialised in the Tudor Revival style and published a number of books on the subject, with Danehurst illustrated in the third edition (1833) of his publication 'Half-a-dozen Hints on Picturesque Designs for Gate Lodges, Gamekeepers' Cottages and other rural residences'.
Group value:
* with the gate piers, flanking walls and gates of 1847, which form the eastern entrance to Danehurst (Grade II).
History
Danehurst was built around 1828 for Lieutenant-General Francis John Davies, who was at the time a Lieutenant-Colonel and a Justice of the Peace. The original house was designed in the Tudor Revival style by Thomas Frederick Hunt (1790-1831). Hunt joined the Kensington Office of Works as a labourer in 1813, later rising to become the Clerk of Works. He was well thought of but lived beyond his means and was regularly sought out by his creditors. As an architect he specialised in the Tudor Revival style and published a number of books on the subject. Danehurst was illustrated in his book 'Half-a-dozen Hints on Picturesque Designs for Gate Lodges, Gamekeepers' Cottages and other rural residences'.
On the death of John Davies, the estate passed to Henry Fanshawe Davies, who sold it in 1875 to Herbert Hardy, who lived at Danehurst until he died in August 1888. His widow arranged and paid for the building of the Parish Church of All Saints at Danehill (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) reference 1191278, listed at Grade II). Danehurst stayed in the ownership of the Hardy family until around 1914, when it was purchased by Harold George Messel. Around this time the house is known to have consisted of; a drawing room, dining room, library, billiard room, smoking room, 13 principal bedrooms and dressing rooms, bathrooms with hot water, servant quarters, offices, gun room, linen room, dairy, bake house and beer and wine cellars. The wider estate extended to around 400 acres and included a large walled garden, stable blocks and greenhouses.
By 1947 it was in the ownership of George Haslam, who sold the estate to Prince and Princess Rohan (of Brittany, France). In the 1950s it was purchased by the Augustinian Sisters Of the Mercy of Jesus, who later funded the conversion of Danehurst into a nursing home capable of accommodating over 50 residents and added a chapel to the north-east corner. The nursing home closed in June 2019.
Danehurst was extended in the late C19 or early C20 to the south-west corner. In the later C20, a large extension was added to the north and alterations to the plan were made, to accommodate a nursing home and ecclesiastical use, including the addition of a chapel to the north-east corner in 1988. Apart from one example, the fireplaces in the principal rooms have either been replaced, altered or removed, probably as part of a wider C20 update. The detailed design of the stairs and panelling throughout the ground floor have also been changed.
Details
A mid-sized country house of around 1828, by Thomas Frederick Hunt (1790-1831), extended in the late C19 or early C20, and again in the later C20.
MATERIALS: sandstone and reconstituted stone, with stone and reconstituted dressings under a clay tile roof.
PLAN: the building is formed of four main phases. The first consists of the original three-storey house which faces south and has an entrance to the east side consisting of a porch, leading to a hallway and the main stairs. A corridor runs east-west and the principal reception rooms are to the south side. The rear wall to the north side is now subsumed by later structures. From the hallway, running north, there is a small two-storey wing (probably the former kitchen) which served as a convent during the later C20. The first floor of the original house also has an east-west corridor, with bedrooms to the south side. The second floor has bedrooms in the attic, accessed by subsidiary stairs to the east end. The second phase is a late-C19 or early-C20 extension of three storeys, which is located to the north-western side of the original house. It has a polygonal stair-tower and an irregular plan of service rooms to the ground floor and bedrooms to the first floor.
The third phase is a large, three-storey, late-C20, T-shaped block which was built to the north as part of the conversion of Danehurst to a nursing home. It has an irregular plan of bedrooms and sitting rooms and is interconnected with both the original house and the earlier extension. The final phase is formed by a single-storey, circular chapel which stands to the north-east of the house and is connected to the late-C20 extension by a corridor. These third and final phases do not add to the special interest of Danehurst.
EXTERIOR: the original house is designed in the Tudor Revival style. It has two, visible elevations which are constructed of sandstone, under a clay-tile, pitched roof, surmounted by tall and grouped, octagonal chimney stacks (mostly glass-fibre replacements). The principal south elevation stands above a raised terrace and is formed of four bays, all characterised by predominantly tripartite, Gothic-type windows with mullions and a continuous drip mould. The three bays to the east end are gabled and finished with stone coping, with the central example having a castellated oriel window. The bay to the western end is formed of a castellated, polygonal, two-storey bay window. The first and second floor windows are multi-paned and those to the ground floor have large panes of plate glass, with those in the gabled bays being altered or replaced to accommodate late-C20 patio doors. At the far western end there is a single-storey, pitch-roofed, C20 extension characterised by reconstituted stone and tall, multi-paned windows.
The east elevation of the original house is of a similar design, having two full-sized, gabled-bays to the south end and three, smaller gables at the north end. The southernmost bay has a tall, castellated and square, single-storey bay window. The central bay has a gabled porch with a Gothic-arched stone architrave and breather window above. The timber entrance door is formed of vertical planks and has ornate strapwork hinges and door furniture. The side elevations of the porch project towards the top supported by a row of modillions. Above the porch, the main gable has a stone-carved, coat of arms and is surmounted by a stone pinnacle. Both of the main gables have irregular, Gothic-type multi-paned or diamond light windows. The three smaller gables at the northern end have pierced barge-boards and multi-paned windows, again in Gothic-type stone architraves. To the first floor, the stonework has an inset segmental arch and a window to the top of gable. A later roof has been added running north to south, effectively filling in the roof space between the smaller gables, with added late-C20 dormer windows.
The west elevation of the building is formed of the late-C19 or early-C20 extension to the south end and the long elevations of the late-C20 care home which extend further to the north. The earlier extension is more Edwardian in character, being constructed of a combination of rusticated and flat-faced ashlar and having irregular casements or sash, multi-paned windows. There is a polygonal, stair tower with pepper-pot roof and the gabled-dormers have applied timber-framing. The 1980s nursing home extension does not add to the special interest of Danehurst. It is constructed of stone and reconstituted stone dressings, fashioned to imitate the character of the earlier extension. The fenestration is regular with square, multi-paned timber windows and a continuous stone plat band. The steeply-pitched roof has regular, gabled-dormers with simplified and applied timber framing. The north and east elevations are similar in form.
The late-C20 chapel does not add to the special interest of Danehurst. It is polygonal in plan and constructed of stone, with regular and square, multi-paned timber windows. It has a conical-type roof which is surrounded by simplified, Gothic-type, dormer windows which form a clerestory. The main roof is surmounted by a smaller, pepper-pot roof, which stands on a strip of stained-glass windows and is surmounted by a simple cross.
INTERIOR: the main door from the porch is Gothic in character and a C20 replacement. The hallway floor is formed of stone slabs and the hall is square in plan. It contains the principal open-well timber staircase which has a curtail step, straight handrail, splat balusters and square-cut or chamfered newel posts with pendants; the hallway, stairwell and landing are half-panelled and appear to have been updated in the later C19, or early C20. The cornice above the stairs is decorated with a continuous, rose-head moulding and the ceiling is panelled. On the landing there are three, Gothic-arched, stained-glass windows, the central example of which carries a family crest. To the left-hand side of the hallway there is a Gothic-arched architrave with carved spandrels and a late-C20 fire door leading to the main corridor, which also has a rose-headed moulding and panelled ceiling. The timber door architraves and panelled doors are unpainted and Classical in style and proportion. To the north side of the corridor there is a former external bay window, which has diamond leaded lights and stained-glass (dated 1878).
There are three reception rooms to the south of the corridor, all of which have hardwood floors and panelled, window shutters. The room to the east end has quarter-height panelling which probably dates from the early-C20, as does the fireplace insert which is formed of stacked tiles. The surround is carved in unpainted oak and supported on Classically-styled columns. The tall overmantel has been created from a number of reclaimed panels and pieces of carved decoration. The middle reception room is similar in character but has plainer panelling and a rose-headed cornice.
The largest reception room is located to the west end and is divided by a set of C20 folding doors. It has early-C19 quarter-height panelling, architraves and panelled timber doors, one of which has a flat-arched pediment. The fireplace surround is carved in unpainted oak and supported on Classically-styled columns. It has a stone insert with Gothic arch and carved spandrels and the fire basket is late-C20. The ceiling is coffered in dark timber to the west side and to the east side, it is plain with a rose-headed cornice.
To the north of the hall, the former kitchen (later a convent) has two, ground-floor reception rooms which have a dado rail but are otherwise plain and functional. This is also the case for the bedrooms above. The first floor of the original house has a similar plan to the ground floor, with bedrooms located to the south of the corridor. They are plain and functional with some sub-division.
The interior of the late-C19/early C20 extension to the north of the original house is plain and functional and the plan has been altered to accommodate a large kitchen and conversion to a nursing home.
The large, late-C20 extension is laid out as ensuite bedrooms and communal lounges, which are also plain and functional.
The interior of the chapel to the north-east of the house is primarily a single open space, apart from a self-contained, flat-roofed vestry, which has a concave face, creating a small sanctuary. The front face of the vestry has a classically-inspired cornice and timber doors, with Gothic decoration. The Stations of the Cross are attached to the chapel walls. The main ceiling is timber-boarded, between black-painted supporting beams. The timber pews are unfitted and stand on a timber floor.
