Details
SU 09 NE,
8/109
DOWN AMPNEY,
DOWN AMPNEY VILLAGE,
Down Ampney House
04.06.52
G.V.
I
Detached hall house. Late C15 or early C16, described by Leland in "Journey through Wiltshire" of 1540-42, altered by Sir John Soane c.1799. Built for Hungerford family, in possession from 1361 (earlier manor house built on site c1270) until 1658. Random coursed rubble stone on plinth with flush quoins, stone slate roof with embattled front parapet, coped verges with carved animals, and crocketed finials to hall. Front lateral stone stack to hall, formerly a round stack with zig-zag decoration, still in place in 1917 (Country Life, Volume XLII, October 1917), now replaced. Stone end stack to solar wing to right, and scattered stone stacks to rear. Square range of 2 storeys. Hall to left has 2 windows, 4-light stone mullion and transoms with arched lights, both originally as left hand one with 2 transoms. Stepped buttresses flank each. Window to right cut into by Soane to form Gothick doorway with wide shallow trefoil-head archway with panelled pilasters and inner door of 6 panels with quatrefoils over trefoil-head panels and plain base panels, stone traceried fanlight in wide trefoil shape with medieval stained glass. Original entrance to left with screens passage at left end now removed, large pointed arch window on left hand return. Solar wing to right also altered by Soane. To left, tripartite sash of 4/12/4-pane sashes with square hoodmould and grouped colonnette architrave, with full length similar window on ground floor. Stepped buttress and blocked doorway to right and to far right, 16-pane sash with square hoodmould on first floor and full length glazed doors below, also with square hoodmould. Internal shutters remain. Wall adjoining on left has small castellated summerhouse of 3 bays with pointed arch windows and doors, probably late C19 or even C20, with square hoodmoulds to central double doors and flanking windows. Right hand return has mostly 12-pane sashes in slightly raised dressed quoin surrounds. Rear range has cornice and double blocking course and straight joint in masonry almost in centre. C19 canted ashlar bay to left of 2 storeys with tripartite sashes to front. Three large 12-pane sashes to right with moulded stone architrave and dropped keystone to first floor. Flush stone surrounds to ground floor with glazed doors to left, 12-pane central sash, tripartite full length sash on right. Single storey corner range of C19, next to bay. Interior of hall - approximately 14m x 7.4m in 4 bays, at one time containing 3 floors. A fire in 1970's destroyed much of the wind bracing and rafters; these have now been replaced in oak but main trusses survive. Moulded principals, ridge beam and purlins, 2 tiers of arched wind bracing and plain upper tier. Hammer-beam construction with plain collar supported by enriched queen posts and arched braces on moulded collar beam, meeting moulded posts resting on hammer beams supported on curved and pierced brackets, with stone corbels carved with coats of arms. Tudor arched stone fireplace would have been in centre of hall originally. Low wide archway on north side of hall opposite Soane's door. Gatehouse built at same time as house was destroyed by fire in 1960's and completely cleared, except for large stone carved arms of
Hungerford family now in the hall.
(David Verey, Buildings of England - Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979)
Listing NGR: SU0977996591
