Description

LICHFIELD

SK1109NE THE CLOSE 1094-1/5/226 (South East side) 05/02/52 St Mary's House and attached wall (Formerly Listed as: THE CLOSE St Mary's Vicarage)

GV II*

House, now office, in south-east angle of medieval close wall, with hexagonal stair turret to angle and attached length of wall extending approx. 42m to foundations of east turret of south gate. Early C14 wall with contemporary or earlier house, altered and extended c1710 to form L-plan, with c1805 infill range to form rectangular plan; extensive alterations of 1805, 1860s and 1966-7; refurbished 1988-90. Ashlar and brick with ashlar dressings; double-span tile roof with hipped north end; 2 brick stacks to valley. West, entrance, front of 2 storeys; 2+2-window range. Half to left projects, with string course, cornice and rusticated quoins; plaster cornice to right half. Entrance to left of centre has architrave and dentilled cornice, overlight with decorative glazing bars to paired half-glazed doors. Two 1860s canted bay windows with hipped roofs with fishscale tiles, that to left end with 4-pane sashes, that to right of centre has 1:3:1-light transomed casement; other windows have 1960s top-hung casements. Left return had 4 windows to each floor, blocked in early C19; three re-opened to ground flor in 1967, with top-hung casements, one C19 window inserted to left end of 1st floor, window to right re-opened c1990, both with 16-pane sashes; 1710 datestone above string to left of centre. Right return is of ashlar, with 2 brick gables over tiled offset, turret to right end has pyramidal tile roof. Basement entrance with leaded overlight to paired 3-panel doors. Window to ground floor in late C15 moulded jambs with offset sill and c1805 lintel, and C18 leaded cross-casement; 12-pane sashes to 1st floor and 2-light casement to gable. Low wall to left, leading to foundations of turret, has attached much-altered single-storey gabled range. Turret has 2 small lights, one with C17 casement. Rear elevation has 3 early C18 windows to basement; 1st flor has renewed 2-light leaded casement in late C15 opening to left end, window with leaded cross-casement and brick infill above and c1805 segmental-headed window to right end with 4:12:4-pane tripartite sash; attic has 3 brick dormers: gabled dormer with 3-light casement, hipped half-dormer with 3-light transomed casement and single-pitch dormer with 16-pane top-hung casement. INTERIOR: much altered with some C19 fireplaces and doors; basement retains medieval ashlar and openings, south west cellar has blocked south entrance with shouldered lintel and adjacent openings to east; C17 or C18 brick walls and later groin vaulting; c1710 fireplace with stop-chamfered bressumer; turret has brick vault. Ground floor has c1805 open-well stick-baluster stair and some re-used early C18 panelling below rear window, which has latin inscription of 1758 or 1858; C19 ex-situ fireplace and C18 door. 1st floor has front room with gypsum floor. Attic has altered medieval roof trusses with eaves walls, early C18 gypsum floors and alterations, 2-panel doors and trusses to hipped roof with curved principals; gabled dormers to valley and short transverse valley to north of stack have leaded glazing. The house, although much altered, retains significant remains of the medieval house suggesting 1st floor hall plan with 2 wings to west, and interesting early C18 range. (Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Greenslade M W: Lichfield: Oxford: 1990-: P.65; Rodwell W: St Mary's House, Provisional Accnt of its Architectural History: 1988-).

Listing NGR: SK1166009761

External Links

• Wikidata Q17557744

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Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)