Building record 2878/0/159 - Manor House, Gold Street

Dated 1790. Now the offices of Dunkelman & Son, shoe component manufacturers.

{1} House built of local freestone and dated 1790. Now the offices of Dunkelman & Son, shoe component manufacturers, whose large single storey factory extends to the rear. The earlier factory buildings are characterised by steel window frames and corrugated asbestos roofs, suggesting that they were built in the 1940s or early 1950s.

A small L-plan shoe factory shown on maps from 1883 to 1924 was reached a narrow track leading back from Gold Street. The arrangement of plot boundaries suggest the factory belonged to this house.

{2} CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND: Historic England has been asked to assess Manor House in Desborough for listing. The building does not stand in a conservation area and the applicant is concerned that the building may be significantly altered or demolished. HISTORY AND DETAILS: Manor House appears to originally date to the C18 although it has been altered and extended in the C19. The area has a historic connection to the Poulton family dating back to the C16 and C17. Research undertaken by the applicants has indicated that there may have been a building on the site which was constructed by two brothers of the family, both of whom were Catholic priests, the family themselves being recusants. The house is a two-storey and attic building, the main body of which is rectangular in plan although a wing which appears to be the oldest section projects axially to the south forming a T-plan footprint. There is a further extension located to the rear and parallel to the original section. There are further outbuildings to the south and east and a large factory building to the south on the site of former stables. The building is constructed of mass masonry walling in squared rubble courses with masonry detailing. It has a tiled roof. The openings have timber and replacement uPVC windows. The front elevation is asymmetrical. To the left is a steeply pitched gabled section axial to the main house, which has a date stone in the gable which is inscribed 1711. The upper part of the gable has been rendered. There is an off-centre porch containing the principal entrance with a bay window to the left and two blocked openings to the right. The remaining windows are irregularly spaced and set in key-stoned square headed openings. There is a masonry band course between the ground and first floors. The rear elevation is also asymmetrical. It has a canted bay window on the ground floor to the left hand side with a single-leaf door adjacent. The fenestration is irregular. There are a series of four gable dormers with a larger box dormer to the right. To the right is a C19 extension with a gable stack and windows on the ground floor. The steeply-pitched roof gable rises further to the right.

DISCUSSION: The statutory criteria for listing are the special architectural or historic interest of a building, as set out in the Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings (DCMS, March 2010). To be of special architectural interest a building must be of importance in its architectural design, decoration or craftsmanship; and to be of special historic interest a building must illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural, or military history. There should normally be some quality of interest in the physical fabric of the building itself to justify the statutory protection afforded by listing. Before 1700, all buildings that contain a significant proportion of their original fabric are listed; from 1700 to 1840, most buildings are listed; after 1840 progressively greater selection is necessary. Further advice is provided in Historic England’s published Selection Guides. The relevant guide notes that houses which date to the C18 and survive in their original form are likely to merit listing, but the extent of survival of the original form and fabric is important to consider. Whether the house has any design features which denote its historic use should also be considered. The original part of the building appears to date to 1711, but it has been significantly altered externally with large C19 extensions to the side and rear, a later porch and canted bay windows and, more recently, replacement PVC windows. In addition, a pair of ground-floor windows on the front elevation have been blocked, though the key stones remains in-situ. There is no evidence of any significant interior features to strengthen the case, and these would in any event need to be exceptional to counter the lack of special interest demonstrated by the exterior. The building does have local historic interest given the long established link to the shoe industry but the fabric does not tell that story and the building doesn’t have evidenced national associations which would strengthen the case.

CONCLUSION: With reference to the published Principles of Selection and the relevant Historic England Selection Guide, and having carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of the building it is considered that the criteria for listing have not been met. Manor House in Desborough is therefore not recommended for Listing.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: Manor House in Desborough, dating originally to the C18 with later additions, is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons: Architectural interest: * the level of alteration to the building means that, while some parts might date back to the C18 as indicated by the date stone on the front elevation, the majority of the fabric appears to be C19 and later. The building in its current form does not comprise a harmonious or architecturally sophisticated composition which might convey special interest in a national context. Changes such as the insertion of uPVC windows on the front elevation have lessened the case further. Historic interest: * the building has local historic interest based on its association with the shoe making industry, however the connection is not demonstrated by the fabric of the building, and while associated with local figures of note, including a family of Catholic recusants, this is again of a local rather than national level of interest.

<1> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Desborough site 5 (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<2> English Heritage, Designation Advice Report, The Manor House, Gold Street (Report). SNN113190.

Record last edited

Nov 21 2023 9:41AM