Building record 403/5/1 - Ashleigh House

A house dating to the late 18th century, but probably a remodelling of an earlier building. It is brick-built, with a slate roof, the rear pitch reclad in concrete tiles. The main range has a 2-room plan with a central entrance hall and the kitchen in a service wing to the rear left. The house is of 3 storeys, with a symmetrical main front and a large, round-headed stair window in the centre, above the doorway.

{1} House. Circa late C18; probably a remodelling of an earlier house. Red brick in Flemish bond with lighter colour headers. Slate roof with coped gable ends and brick cogged eaves cornice; the back pitch reclad in concrete tiles. Brick gable end stack. 2-room plan main range with central entrance hall, the right hand room heated by rear lateral stack, the left by gable end stack. The kitchen is in a long service wing behind the left end. 3 storeys. Symmetrical 3 window south front. Original window openings with flat stone keyed arches and stone cills, all with C20 casements except for large round headed stair window at centre with keyed round arch and 18 pane sash with intersecting glazing bars at top. Doorway below at centre with C20 panelled door and reconstructed stone arch with new canopy. Right hand gable end has original 12-pane sash in opening similar to those at front. Left hand end has casements and long 2 storey rear wing to left. INTERIOR: Right hand room has high ceiling with chamfered cross-beam convex tops and large fireplace at back with new wooden lintel. Left hand room has panelled left end wall with giant fluted pilasters flanking chimneypiece with lush garlands and panel in the frieze with relief of a shepherdess, dentil cornice and fielded panel overmantel above. Flanking the fireplace small lush drops and large round-headed china cupboards with shaped shelves and moulded architraves with keyblocks; moulded cornice over the panelling. Good oak open-well, open-string staircase from ground to second floor with stick balusters and moulded handrail ranged up to columnar newels and wreathed over curtail. Right hand first floor chamber has chamfered cross-beam with cyma stops and unchamfered exposed joists, C18 moulded chimneypiece with grate and fielded panel doors to two cupboards. Left hand first floor chamber has Adam style chimneypiece and iron grate and fielded panel cupboard door to left. Above the chimneypiece a contemporary landscape picture painted in oils directly on to the wall, it has an oval frame revealed behind painted curtains. The picture shows two ladies on the left, one weepng, and on the right two men duelling, all in contemporary dress. C18 panelled doors throughout and old plank door on second floor.

{3} Ashleigh House Farm. A brick-built farmhouse of 1760, is much altered with little left of the original farm buildings. The owner has reinstated lost features and details. In doing so a wall painting in a first floor room has been found, with a theatrical theme. The painting was probably executed by a local artist c.1760-1780 showing a rural scene, and it is likely that the characters were superimposed later, posisbly by a different artist.

{4} Five photos of house dated December 1996, also three photos of wall painting dated December 1996;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 1/302 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F04 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> ELLISON M., 1997, SMR Report Form & Attached Photographs, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN109861.

<4> Photographs of buildings in Barby (Photographs). SNN111891.

<5> Undated, ASHLEIGH HOUSE, WARE ROAD, BARBY, BF106180 (Archive). SNN113600.

Record last edited

Jun 20 2022 1:40PM