Grooms Cottage and multi-functional outbuilding, with attached garden walls

Summary

Early C19 multi-functional outbuilding and mid-to late C19 coach house, with attached garden walls. C20 and C21 alterations.

Reasons for Designation

Grooms Cottage and multi-functional outbuilding, with attached garden walls are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for their careful massing, design and use of materials, complementing the architectural character of the principal house;
* for the legibility of their historic function in the surviving building fabric;
* for the retention of its C19 stable interior, including stall partition, feeding trough and cobbled floor.

Historic interest:

* for their contribution to our understanding of the development of the estate over the C19 to meet both the aspirations of the owners and the expectations for a country estate of this period.

Group value:

* with the former laundry (Grade II), they have an important historic and architectural relationship with the house, Ninnage Lodge (Grade II), and together they form a good ensemble of associated C19 estate buildings that contribute to our understanding of the development of estate architecture in the C19.

History

The outbuilding to the north-west of Ninnage Lodge is shown on the tithe map of 1839 and is thought to have early C19 origins incorporating a two-stall stable, cart shed, chaff house and coal house, with a staircase at the left-hand end giving access to the loft rooms above. In the mid-to late C19 a coach house, now known as Grooms Cottage, was added at the south-west end. This building comprised a three-stall stable to the left with a central door flanked by windows, and a double carriage house to the right, with accommodation to the first floor. It appears that the stables became part of the living accommodation in the mid-C20.

Details

Early C19 multi-functional outbuilding and mid-to late C19 coach house, with attached garden walls. C20 and C21 alterations.

MATERIALS: both the outbuilding and former coach house are principally built of brick; the rear wall of the coach house is constructed of coursed stone. The pitched roofs are covered in plain clay tiles, and there are two brick stacks to Grooms Cottage.

PLAN: rectangular, single-depth plan comprising, from left to right, the two-storey coach house and the lower, two-storey outbuilding. A flight of steps between the two buildings gives access to the loft; the access to the first floor of the coach house has been blocked.

GROOMS COTTAGE

EXTERIOR: the principal elevation (south-east) of the two-storey former coach house is of five uneven bays with an axial stack to the left and a gable-end stack to the right. The ground-floor openings have brick segmental heads with keystones to the second, fourth and fifth bay. The second bay is thought to have originally been the door to the stable, and the door to the right originally a window. The sliding garage doors are of three leafs with glazed upper sections. To the first floor the three windows above the former stable are two-light casements, and the two windows above the former garage are three-light casements, all with glazing bars. The windows all have tiled cills. The gable (south-west) end has a five-berth dovecote.

INTERIOR: refurbished in the mid-C20, the joinery, door and window furniture, and the fireplaces, date from this period. There is a re-used Regency fireplace, with a mid-C20 grate, to the first floor.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL OUTBUILDING

EXTERIOR: two-storey outbuilding that steps down at the north end. The south-east elevation has an off-centre double door with a single door and small window to either side, above is an eight-over-eight sash window, and a six-light window. There is a further window to the right. The gable (north-east) end has a door to ground floor and an eight-over-eight sash window to the first floor. The openings, apart from the sash windows, are all set beneath segmental brick heads.

INTERIOR: divided into separate rooms with some evidence for blocked openings. The two-stall stable retains its stall partition, feeding trough and cobbled floor. To the loft are pegged tie beam trusses with through purlins.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached to the gable ends of both buildings are the remains of brick garden boundary walls, with that to the north-east continuing to a wrought iron gate.

Sources

Other
Map of the Parish of Westbury in the County of Gloucester (1839)
OS Map 6" (1884 edn)
OS Map 6" (1902 edn)
Ninnage Lodge, Chaxhill, Westbury-on-Severn, Sales Particulars, plan, Valuation; 2 letters, 1937 (Gloucestershire Archives D2299/6188)

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