Description

SP 61 SE CHILTON THAME ROAD
(west side)

1/61 Chilton House, including
forecourt walls, gates, railings
and pavilions (Clock Tower)
(Formerly listed as Chilton Manor
25.[0.51 House)

GV II*

Country house, pavilions and cour d'honneur, C16, enlarged and given new
entrance and garden fronts c1740. Brick with stone basement and dressings.
Hipped tiled roofs. 3 storeys and basement. 9 bay front. C16 house half
H plan with wings projecting to west. c1740 infilled space between wings
and substantially rebuilt much of remainder. East or Entrance front has
rusticated stone basement. Central doorcase of Ionic engaged columns,
entablature and pediment, glazed double doors, approached by double
flight of 12 stone steps. Flanking pairs of bays framed by stone Doric
pilasters supporting stone cornice above third floor windows. The line
of the pilasters carried up through tall brick parapet. Parapet has stone
framed recesses in line with windows below. All ground floor and the 5
central first floor windows have banded stone rusticated jambs and stepped
voussoir heads. Remainder have stone architraves with keystones. The
5 centre bays are slightly projecting. Garden or west front. Plainer
with stone basement. Sash windows with keystones, but brick jambs and
segmental brick arches. Centre 5 bays project slightly and their outer
bays have arched staircase windows, the lower ones with sidelights and
cornice to produce Venetian windows. Stone cornice band and coped parapet.
North elevations has 2 full height projecting chimneys with offsets.
Each has 2 diagonal fls of C16 brick, the west one and part of the walls
have diaper brickwork patterns. Lead rainwater pipes and hopper heads.
South elevation has 2 full height projecting stacks also, but with 2 square
flues to each. Both flanks have stone cornice bands and ramped coped
parapets. Interior. Entrance hall panelled with fluted Corinthian
pilasters and modillion cornice. Fireplace has open pedimented surround.
Open pediment overdrops, lugged architrave frames. Plaster centrepiece
to ceiling of high quality. Main staircase hall to right with staircase
with 3 twisted balusters per tread, carved tread ends and moulded hand
rail. Fluted columnar newel. Panelled dado and ramped rails. Dentil
eaves to hall. Secondary staircase to left altered, but upper flights
have 2 turned balusters per tread and ramped rails. Left hand ground
floor front room is panelled with pedimented overdoors and Rococo plaster
work to the ceiling. The right hand ground floor front room is also panelled
with pedimented overdoors and modillion cornice. Other panelled ground
floor rooms. First floor has right hand rooms with C18 panelling, some
box cornices. Left hand rooms and rear right hand room have C17 panelling,
perhaps reused. Second floor has C16 linen fold panelled room across whole
of south wing. This room has high pointed barrel ceiling and may be long
gallery of C16 house. Also on first floor at right is C16 fireplace with
moulded stone jambs and 4-centred head. Cellars have 3 and 4 centred barrel
vaults in brick, mostly C16. South elevation has (now internal) a 4-
centred arched doorway with moulded jambs and above a 4-light window with
pointed heads and square outer order with moulded label. At south is
modern single storey range of 4 bays with dormer windows. Cour d'Honneur.
Quadrant walls, altered, lead to flanking pavilions. Each quadrant has
niche with rubbed brick dressings and is framed by pilasters and a
pediment. Then arched doorways and side walls of Pavilions. Pavilions
of 3 bays by 3 bays with hipped old tile roofs. One storey plus dormers.
Brick on a tall stone plinth, stone cornice and panelled parapets.
Each bay flanked by brick pilasters. Elevations to cour d'honneur have
3 arched recesses between pilasters with abacus band and keyblocks. North
pavilion has casement windows in recesses. East fronts have wider centre
bay with blocked arched centre door flanked by segment arched windows.
Outer bays have window with roundel at left or niches over second windows.
3 dormers. Each has central wood clock turret, and octagonal arched
belfry crowned with ogee cupola and weathervane. North pavilion has wind
dial instead of clock face and is used as stables. South pavilion residential
and called 'The Clocktower'. North and south walls of cour d'honneur brick
with moulded copings and plinth ramping up to pavilions. Entrance screen
to east has wrought iron railings on low brick wall with stone copings.
4 piers with stone caps, outer ones with pineapple finials, inner with
urns. Central wrought iron gates with scroll panel standards and
overthrow. Chiltern House was remodelled c1740 for Chief Justice Carter
based on William Winde's Buckingham House of c1705 in London.
RCHM I 105. MON.2.

Listing NGR: SP6872911624

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535449

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

• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper