Architecture

“The Village has a very pretty High Street with a stream running in its middle. On the N side, the finest house, Glenthorne, c 1690, of brick, in red and blue chequer.”  Nicholas Pevsner, The Buildings of England. On the street side, Glenthorne House sports an ornate, brick-clad exterior typical of the reign of William and Mary.. (There are many buildings in the Winchester Cathedral Close built in similar style, due to the destruction by the Commonwealth of so many church buildings.) The man responsible for its building, Thomas Cropp, was wealthy; he owned properties as far away as the Isle of Wight. He was also very canny – the rear of the house is of much simpler construction; he must have reasoned that, since nobody overlooked, there was no need to spend the money. “Glenthorne and forecourt rail. A notable example of William and Mary style, with a symmetrical south front, having a projecting centre, of two storeys. In it, the doorway with a big brick pediment and the window above with lugs and tiny volutes. Raised brick quoins at the angles of the house. Red brickwork in Flemish bond with blue headers, red dressings; plinth, rubbed flat arches, 1^st floor band, rusticated quoins, eared architrave to centre with cut brick ornament to mouldings.” “The rear (north) elevation is an unusual exposed timber frame (of the same date) with painted brick infill: there are five windows (of irregular spacing) with a middle tall staircase light with an arched head It has been speculated that the rear might have been a relic of an older, perhaps Tudor, building. Edward Roberts agrees with the conclusion in the listing paper, that the rear is of the same period as the front, built with a “stud wall” of beams originally in-filled with lathe and plaster.” “The interior contains the original staircase, some Georgian plaster work and some Victorian renovation (in matching style). In front of the house, on each side of the entrance, there is a wrought-iron forecourt rail, resting on a stone base.”