Sherbourne Priors

Summary

Mid-C19 vicarage, with a late-C19 or early-C20 extension and late-C20 alterations.

Reasons for Designation

Sherbourne Priors, an 1863 vicarage designed by Yeoville Thomason, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as well-executed example of a mid-C19 vicarage demonstrating a flair for gothic design by the architect;
* the building is skilfully detailed with good quality stone dressings, cusped bargeboards and statement brick chimneys;
*      the interior survives well, retaining its principal stair, good levels of joinery and original windows.

Historic interest:

* the building was designed by Yeoville Thomason, a competent and highly regarded architect of the period with other, highly graded buildings on the List.

History

Sherbourne Priors was constructed to the designs of Birmingham architect Yeoville Thomason, with work completed in 1863. The building was built as a vicarage for Miss Louisa Ann Ryland. The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1887 depicts a roughly L-shaped building with a principal range and entrance porch facing south and a long linear service range to the rear. A parallel linear stable range is shown to the east. By the publication of the 1905 Ordnance Survey map, the building had been extended at its east end with an additional range projecting to the north. A small conservatory was also erected at this time on the west elevation.

In 1937 plans were drawn up for the erection of a chauffer’s cottage to the north of the vicarage; the cottage has since been altered and does not form part of this assessment. In the late-C20 the former conservatory was rebuilt as a single-storey range with gable roof. The building has in recent years been in use as a residential school and a number of alterations have been made to accommodate this use. The first floor has been arranged to house an additional eight bedrooms, each with an inserted ensuite.

Details

Mid-C19 vicarage, with a late-C19 or early-C20 extension and late-C20 alterations.

MATERIALS: constructed of brick with stone dressings and a clay tile roof.

PLAN: the building is U-shaped with some late-C20 infill in between the north ranges on the ground floor. The principal (south) range is oriented south-west to north-east and has a double-pile roof. Two further ranges project to the rear (north).

EXTERIOR: the building is a combination of two and three storeys and is constructed in a gothic style with carved bargeboards with cusped detailing, tall brick chimneys and stone window dressings with hoodmoulds. The principal façade faces south and has two projecting brick gables with a steeply pitched roof with crested ridge tiles. The gables are supported by projecting stepped stone corbels, each supporting a small column beneath the eaves. The bargeboards have cusped detailing and a central trefoil design. At ground floor is a roughly-central projecting porch with moulded stone gothic arch. To the left is a canted bay window with large stone mullions. To the right is a large window with stone transom and mullions and projecting hood with boss detail. There are a further three windows with stone dressings on the first floor, the left- and right-hand windows being identical with six lights and flush stone pediment with relief trefoil carving. At the apex of the gables are two further small lancet windows. To the left of the façade a single-storey C20 extension projects to the west.

The west elevation has a pair of gables to the south, both with carved bargeboards and corbels matching the south elevation. The left-hand gable has a stone projecting bay window at ground floor with transoms and mullions with pentice roof above. On the first storey, is a further window with stone dressings, with a further, single-light window above at the centre of the apex. To the right the additional gable is dominated by the late-C20 single storey extension, there is a single slim light at first floor but the gable is otherwise blind. To the north is the two-storey late-C19 or early-C20 extension which takes the form of a steeply-pitched gable roof with tall brick stack to both the north and south end. There is a large canted bay window at ground floor on the west elevation.

The courtyard elevation (east) is intersected at its centre by a brick wall attached to the former stable range. The left of the elevation contains a large brick stack with gable to the north. The gable matches those elsewhere with corbels and carved bargeboards. There is a second storey single-light window at the gable's apex and a stone window below with trefoil carving. At ground floor the courtyard wall intersects the gable with a stone window to the left (south) and an entrance door with matching stone pediment to the right. To the north the building continues with the two-storey former service range with a further two gables which reduce in scale as the elevation continues. Each of the gables have a window opening at ground and first floor with stone dressings to match those elsewhere. A single-storey small store is situated at the very north of the elevation.

The rear (north) elevation consists of the gable ends of both the former service range (left) and late-C19 or early-C20 extension. In-between these ranges there is C20 infill at ground floor.

INTERIOR: the building’s principal entrance is situated on the south elevation with the entrance porch leading to a vestibule and then entrance hall. The entrance hall retains its original mid-C19 stair with newel posts which are square in section and have a carved block finial with dentilled detail. The stair is closed-string and is panelled with hanging pendants and a balustrade with splat balusters. Below the balusters is a moulded string and above is a moulded rail. The hall also retains decorative floor tiles and deeply-moulded skirting and architraves. Within the reveals of the architraves there is panelling with cusped detail. The south-west room contains a large bay window, a double cornice and deep skirting boards. At the west end of the room is a fireplace with original surround. A modern glazed door to the north leads to a late-C20 reception room. To the north is a further reception room with bay window facing west with original timber shutters. A further fireplace with overmantle survives on the north wall and has been partly boarded up. The room also retains a decorative plaster cornice and a dado rail with panelling and skirting below. A large room is situated to the north, within the late-C19 or early-C20 extension and contains a fireplace at the north end with large timber overmantle with recessed niches. The room has a decorative plaster ceiling with cornices and a repeating plaster design. Recessed shelving is situated at the south end of the wall as is a cast-iron radiator. The west wall contains three large windows, with the central window taking the form of a large, canted bay.

The former service range is situated at the east end of the house and contains a former kitchen at the north end. Some of the rooms retain their panelled window shutters, a service stair is situated to the south of the range.

On the first floor there is a series of bedrooms, each with an ensuite. There are a variety of surviving C19 windows including casements within the transom and mullion windows and elsewhere horned sashes. The second floor contains a further series of rooms and loft spaces. The building also has a cellar with storage and in-built shelving.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Pickford, C, The Buildings of England: Warwickshire , (2016)

Other
First Edition Ordnance Survey Map, 1887
Epoch 2 Ordnance Survey Map, 1905

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