Sheldon Manor, Sheldon Manor, Wiltshire, SN14 (Grade I)

CHIPPENHAM WITHOUT SHELDON ST 87 SE 5/227 Sheldon Manor 20.12.60

GV I

Manor House, c1300, C15, c1660, c1710 and 1911. Rubble stone with stone-tiled roofs. Two-and-a-half storeys. South front: 2 storey c1300 porch with coped gable capped by early C18 pedimented sundial. One first floor 2-light window with cusped Y-tracery. Ground floor angle buttresses with one set-off and saddleback coping. Double-chamfer pointed archway. Quadripartite vault with heavy chamfered ribs springing from angle shafts with moulded caps. Double chamfer pointed inner doorway with oak door in moulded frame, possibly C15, reused. On west side, 2-light window, trefoil heads and deep inner reveal. Single light above. Possibly built 1282 for Gascelyn family. Main house behind rebuilt after 1659 for W.Forster apart from east range, possibly C15, the south end probably the ‘chamber east of the hall’ built 1431 for T. Hille, tenant of Hungerford family. South gable east of porch, coped with tiny attic light, 2-light first floor window with cusped heads and plain chamfered 3-light ground floor window. East side of this range refenestrated 1911. One side wall stack with 2 diagonal shafts, ridge stack with 2 shafts and north end stack. Main c1660 range L-plan with rear north gabled stair tower, south front gable and gable ends to west and east, the rear angle of L in filled with paired north gables probably after 1711 for W. Norris. Massive triple-shaft rear wall stack to main range. South front, moulded coping to gable, 3-light ovolo- moulded attic window with hoodmould and 3 window range of mullion and transom windows to main floors with continuous dripmoulds stepped up over outer 2 windows to form symmetrical gable composition. Outer 4 windows are recessed cyma-moulded, inner 2 windows are ovolo-moulded. West gable end has 3-light ovolo attic window and 2 windows to each main floor, one blank, one blocked mullion and transom window to first floor, one blank, one C20 mullion and transom window to ground floor, cyma-mouldings. Dripcourse over first floor and dripcourse stepped up as hoodmould over ground floor. Early c18 paired north gables have first floor west side mullion and transom window with continuous dripmould. Coped north gables and ashlar corniced end wall stack to right gable. Flush quoins. First floor cyma-moulded mullion and transom windows with hoodmoulds, ground floor ovolo-moulded 2-light windows with hoodmoulds. Set back to left is c1660 stair gable with, moulded coping, 2-light attic ovolo-moulded window, 3-light first floor ovolo-moulded window and 3-light landing level mullion and transom ovolo-moulded window, all with hoodmoulds. To left, projecting, north end of C15 range and beyond at north east angle of house 1911 2-storey kitchen wing with broad dormer gable to north and south and triple east end diagonal stack. Leaded lights throughout. Interior: c1300 porch has arched-braced coupled-rafter roof to first floor room. c1660 main range has fine open well staircase with rusticated closed string, newels with openwork finials and pendants and flat balusters with Ionic type capitals. Drawing room has introduced panelling and Tudor-arched fireplace. First floor west room has introduced early C18 fielded panelling, shell corner cupboard and original bolection moulded fireplace. C15 east range has ground floor south room with introduced Tudor-arched fireplace and linen-fold panelled door. Dining-room with massive beams and introduced linen-fold panelling and Tudor-arched fireplace. North end room has large original timber lintel fireplace and massive centre beam. First floor, south end, library with 3-bay arched-braced collar truss roof with windbracing, partly 1911. Introduced Tudor-arched fireplace. Room to north has Tudor-arched fireplace. North end room has bolection moulded fireplace c1700. (E. Gibbs: Sheldon Manor 1982; Country–Life: 8.11.1913.)