Description

WOMERSLEY PARK LANE SE 51 NW (south side)

5/22 Womersley Park and adjoining coach-house and 11.12.67 stables

GV II* Small country house with coach-house and stables adjoining. C17 origins with extensive later additions and alterations including those of late C17 to early C18 for Tobiah Harvey, mid C18 alterations probably by James Paine and later C18 alterations probably by Robert Adam, and with further alterations in the C19. Magnesian limestone, mainly rendered, with ashlar and brick dressings and with Welsh slate roof. U-shaped on plan with inverted U-shaped coach-house and stables adjoining to north-west. House. Main range of 7 bays and 2 storeys with attics, with advanced 2-storey, 2- bay wings ending in canted bays. Central entrance has a Doric portico with engaged Doric pilasters, frieze and pediment. Half-glazed door. Fenestration: ground floor has 8-pane sashes to centre bays and wings, 4- pane sashes to canted bays, to first floor of main range are 15-pane unequally hung sashes, wings and canted bays with 12-pane sashes. All windows in tooled ashlar architraves with moulded sills and many with original glass. Moulded cornice throughout and low parapet partly concealing roof dormers. Hipped roof with separate lower roofs to bays. Ridge and rear stacks. Further entrance to west side, a 6-fielded-panel door with divided fanlight and round ashlar arch on Doric pilasters. Garden facade to east has a canted bay to centre with entrance through 4-pane sash to ground level in tooled ashlar architrave. Interior retains many original features including sumptuous drawing room to east wing reputedly by Paine with moulded ceiling decorated with armour and naturalistic motifs; moulded frieze and cornice; arcade of fluted Corinthian columns; moulded shutters and dado; splendid tri-colour marble fireplace with central relief of a youth with grapes and dog and Ionic columns to sides and with Delft tiles within; moulded fielded-panel doors. Entrance hall has arcade of Greek Doric columns and elaborate cornice with C-scroll and grape motifs; white marble fireplace with nymphs on pedestals in relief to sides; alcoves with glazed latticed doors. Inner staircase hall probably late C18 - early C19 has mahogany open well, closed string staircase with turned spindle balusters, wreathed handrail with iron lamps to corners at first-floor level and roundel moulding to string,supported on arcade of mahogany Corinthian columns; moulded mahogany doors have roundel motif, moulded Neo-classical cornice and central ceiling rose; 2-colour marble Neo-classical fireplace and stained-glass staircase window, a later insertion re-using C17 glass by Henry Gyles showing portraits of Roman Emperors and coats of arms. Early C18 dogleg service staircase has onion-on-vase balusters, 2 per tread. Library reputedly by Robert Adam, has moulded frieze and cornice and moulded bookshelves, door and shutters. Other rooms have good marble fireplaces, cornices, 6-panel doors, shutters to windows etc. C17 cellars have 2-light mullion windows with chamfered mullions and 2 single- light windows in double-chamfered surrounds. Stable range: to south side a 2-storey, 6-bay range abutts north-west corner of house, and has stable ranges to rear. Carriage entrance to third bay with segmental arch and quoined ashlar architrave, plank carriage doors. Ground floor has mainly 12-pane sashes with moulded sills and tooled architraves, except to first bay a blocked, 2-light mullion window; first-floor has 9-pane, unequally- hung sashes with moulded sills and tooled architraves. Rear ranges have 3 entrances, one a 6-fielded-panel door, otherwise plank doors and all under fanlights with glazing bars; otherwise mainly plank carriage entrances and stable doors under mainly brick, segmental arches with ashlar keystones. Mainly 8 and 12-pane sashes under elliptical arches, some casement windows. To first floor of each range are pitching doors with flight of steps up to door of west range. Interior. Neo-classical stalls remain to north-east corner. 3 stalls with round-arched arcading on slender pillars. There were reputedly close contacts between Nostell Priory and Womersley Park during the C18. L C Ballard, A Short History of Womersley. N Pevsner, Yorkshire, The West Riding, 1979, p 651. York Georgian Society Annual Report, 1979, pp 42-4. J T Brighton, 'Henry Gyles', York Historian 4, 1984, pp 49-50.

Listing NGR: SE5329418985

External Links

• Wikidata Q17542476

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Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide