Details
NORTON BAVANT NORTON BAVANT VILLAGE
ST 94 SW
(west side)
4/209 Norton Bavant House, with
attached garden walls to
11.9.68 west (formerly listed as
Norton Bavant. House)
GV II*
Country house. Late C17, altered late C18 and C20. Rendered
brick, fishscale tiled hipped roof, brick stacks in linked groups
of four. 2-storey and attic, 7-windowed; casements. Central door
with 6 fielded panels, partly glazed, in moulded stone architrave
with fine shell hood on console-brackets, either side are three
hollow-chamfered cross windows, moulded string course at lintel
level. First floor has 7 hollow-chamfered cross windows. Moulded
and coved eaves cornice to steeply pitched hipped roof, four flat-
headed dormers with 2-light casements. Right return has central
glazed double doors in moulded eared stoned architrave with flat
wooden hood on brackets, two plate glass sashes in former cross
windows to right, two cross windows to left, string course. First
floor has five cross windows, one retains leading. Cornice. Three
flat-headed dormers to attic. Rear has three cross windows,
chamfered doorcase with glazed door to right of centre and early
C20 porch to left, string course, six cross windows to first floor,
cornice and two flat-headed dormers to hipped gables, the centre
two bays are C18 insertion, with flat lead roof, filling in former
narrow rear courtyard between flanking wings. Left return has
three cross windows to ground floor and two to first floor,
attached is 1920's 2-storey extension with cross windows and
fishscale tiled roof.
Interior: some alterations in 1960's including the early C18 stairs
being moved from west entrance hall to centre of house, original
stairs retained; two turned balusters per open string tread, wide
moulded and ramped handrail, glazed inner door in elliptical-arched
opening is also late C20. Good original fittings in rest of house,
especially panelling in most of rooms. Rear drawing room has
bolection moulded, fielded panelling, dentilled ceiling cornice,
bolection-moulded doorcases and doors with 6 fielded panels, eared
fireplace surround. Particularly fine first floor billiard room
has bolection-moulded and raised panelling with wooden ceiling
cornice, matching doors with 'H'-hinges. Attic stairs with splat
balusters to closed string, square chamfered newels with bar stops
and bulgy finials, wide moulded handrails, attic rooms with planked
doors with strap hinges in chamfered cases with bar stops, and one
Tudor-arched doorway with ribbed door, some studded timber
partitioning. Through purlin roof. House probably built by Benet
family and occupied by them until early C20, see Benet chapel in
Church of All Saints (q.v.). Attached to west are English garden
wall bond brick walls with stone coping, round and segmental-arched
openings. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975;
VCH, Wiltshire, Vol. 8).
Listing NGR: ST9063743387
