Description

WEST TISBURY PYTHOUSE PARK
ST 92 NW (north side)

4/292 Pythouse
6.1.66
GV II*

Country house, now residential apartments. Circa 1725, rebuilt
1805 by John Benett, rear service wings 1891 for Vere Benett-
Stanford. Limestone ashlar, Welsh slate hipped roofs, stone
stacks. Regency. Two-storey and basement, 9-bay symmetrical
front. Central tetrastyle Ionic portico with unfluted columns, up
steps with mounting block, channelled rusticated basement has three
3-pane windows either side. Ground floor has central panelled
double doors in moulded architrave, four plate glass sashes left
and right. First floor has nine plate glass sashes. Moulded
cornice to pediment with Benett arms and blocking course, cast-iron
rainwater heads dated 1805. Right and left returns with central
distyle in antis Ionic portico with French windows and 12-pane or
plate glass sashes, cast-iron balustrade to steps and portico,
flanking bays have tripartite sashes with segmental-headed panels
to ground floor, sashes to first floor, cornice and blocking course
as front. To rear of returns are projecting ashlar-faced 1891
wings with bow-fronted 2-storey porches with French windows up
steps with stone balustrades, plate glass sashes. Rear service
wings in yellow cavity-walled brick flank the service courtyard;
plate glass segmental-headed sashes, 4-panelled and half-glazed
doors, cast-iron rainwater heads dated 1891, lead and slate roofs
with raking attic dormers.
Interior: entrance hall with diagonally-laid marble floor, 8-
panelled double doors, anthemion ceiling frieze. Central stair
hall wth stone stairs on cast-iron arched trellis support, returns
are cantilevered, cast-iron 'rod' balusters, wreathed moulded
handrails, marble Ionic columns to upper corridor, guilloche frieze
to coved ceiling with oval toplight. Morning room has fine grey
marble fireplace with canopy with floral frieze on enriched columns
and date 1553, probably Italian, plaster ceiling frieze with vine
motif. Drawing room has fine Italian fireplace with classical
scene with figures to frieze of canopy. First floor retains some
fittings of early C18 house, to middle range; east side has stairs
with two turned balusters per open string tread, wide moulded
handrail, doors with two raised panels, some dado panelling, west
side of house has room with good marble fireplace with rococo
frieze and consoles to cornice and overmantel, full fielded
panelling and dentil cornice, door with 6 fielded panels in
enriched architrave. Kitchen of 1891 retains original blue or
white tiled walls, glazed roof, large segmental-arched opening to
former ranges. Glazed corridor at first floor level linking 1805
range with 1891 wings has tesselated floor, octagonal leaded
windows. Fine classical house set in parkland with ha-ha. The
front is very similar to front of Phillips House, Dinton (q.v.),
begun 1813 and by Jeffry Wyatville.
(Country Houses Association guide; N. Pevsner, The Buildings of
England, Wiltshire, 1975)

Listing NGR: ST9063528564

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Pythouse at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7263946

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide