Details
TEWIN MARDEN HILL
TL 21 SE
5/145 Marden Hill House,
20.10.52 Service Block and
Annexe (Formerly listed as
Marden Hill)
GV II*
Country house, now 6 flats. 1790-4 by F. Carter for R. Mackay retaining
fragments of house built c.1655 for H. North. Altered 1818-19 by
Sir John Soane for C.G. Thornton, Governor of Bank of England. Further
altered and extended 1866. Yellow stock brick with earlier and later red
brick on service buildings. Portland stone dressings. Stone flag hipped
mansard roof with leaded central valley. Tiled roofs on service
buildings. Simple Neo-classical Style. Square on plan, 5 x 5 bays. 2
storeys with attic and basement. Entrance front: central 2 storey
tetrastyle Ionic porch added by Soane using columns originally intended
for New Bank Buildings in Princes Street. Quarter spheres at bases flank
steps up to large glazed round arch behind which are more steps up to
inner entrance with 2/3 glazed double doors, segmental pediment on
consoles. First floor tripartite windows onto balustraded balcony,
panelled pilaster strips and blocked cornice. Returns have ground floor
round headed small pane fixed windows, first floor glazing bar sashes.
Outer bays have thin glazing bar sashes recessed with gauged brick flat
arched heads, cambered heads to basement, moulded stone course over
basement, blind arcading on ground floor with moulded stone impost
blocks, string course at first floor sill level, all continuous. Attic
has later C19 pedimented 9 pane half dormers to centre and outer bays
breaking stone coped parapet, intermediate blind panels with original
round headed dormers behind in mansard. Stacks, dormers and lantern in
central valley. Rebated corners to return elevations, that to left is
garden front with a large 3 bay full height bow to centre. Double curved
flights of steps removed from principal entrance by Soane, round piers,
balustrades and broad handrails. To centre a round arch with arms on
keystone. Ground floor 15 pane sashes, shaped brackets to moulded blind
boxes, moulded architraves on bow. Surmounting bow is terracotta
balustraded parapet. Pedimented half dormers, that to centre a 3 light
casement with round head to centre, moulded frame. 2 ridge stacks. Rear
elevation is similar without impost blocks and string course at first
floor sill level. Entrance to left of centre with steps up with curved
iron handrails. Panelled door with 8 pane rectangular fanlight,
pilastered doorcase with shaped brackets to dentilled hood. Right return
from front has 2 stacks, scattered sashes. Towards rear a full height
projecting apsidal water closet. Interior: Soane's alterations include
entrance hall; lateral segmental vault with key pattern and ball
mouldings, niches in quadrant corners, distyle in antis Corinthian
columns to staircase; a single flight up returns in 2 to landing,
continuous handrail, wreathed at base, swept round in curves without
newel posts, iron balustrade with rosettes in diamonds, late C18
plasterwork below oval lantern. Ground floor: dining room; segmental
arched sideboard recess, coffered and reeded, late C18 chimney-piece.
First floor boudoir with complex typically Soanian vaulting, laterally
vaulted bay to segmental cross vault with central rosette, key pattern
and ball moulding, further saucer dome with flanking segmental vaults.
Extending to right from main block is passage link to service block,
largely C18 incorporating some C17 brickwork. 2 storeys. Accretions to
front of link with end of service block projecting, refaced c.1800, 1st
floor sash, hipped roof, an extruded stack with offsets on inner return.
Outer return faces stable yard and is main elevation of service block,
early C18, irregularly fenestrated. Ground floor: towards left a door of
4 raised panels, upper glazing with rusticated and pilastered timber
doorcase concealing C17 jambs. To left a paired flush frame 16 pane sash
with a small hood, to right a 5 light casement, segmental headed door
and 2 light casement. 2 further bays added to far right with a door and
16 pane sash. Plat band to first floor with sashes and casements, cross
axial ridge stack at original right end. Right end ground floor
segmental headed 4 light casement, plat band, first floor 16 pane sash,
hipped roof. Inside service courtyard is early red brick to rear of
passage link with a door, plat band, first floor early leaded cross
casement. Rear of service block has later projecting tilehung first
floor on iron columns. A quadrant wall from main block leads to late C19
Annexe adjoining service block. Gable end to rear with a ground floor 4
light bay window. Moulded bargeboards. Returns have moulded brick, plat
bands, extruded stacks with paired diagonal shafts. (Country Life,
22/8/1941: D. Stroud, The Architecture of Sir John Soane, 1961: Pevsner
1977: RCHM Typescript).
Listing NGR: TL2793613988
