Overstrand Hall

Description

Built for Charles Mills, Lord Hillingdon, a partner in Glyn Mills Bank and a business associate of Sir Frederick Mirrielees, it is constructed of stone, flint, brick dressings, tile and half-timbering. The approach to the house reveals two of the main themes – the materials and the projecting bays with continuous coped parapets, a motif developed later at Castle Drogo. The roof mostly sits behind the parapet, as if the walls were fortifications, but in places comes quite low down. The plan, similar to that of Orchards, is built around a central courtyard and is most intricate. The entrance is through a passageway, under a Mannerist skeleton arch (used later at Marsh Court), into a Quattrocento courtyard. Up the staircases, behind the fountain, is the entrance but two right turns are still necessary to reach the Hall! Inside the Hall is a splendidly perverse classical fireplace, and a heavy Tudor staircase, which has the characteristic motif of carved ends to the exposed joints (seen before in Surrey). The house is a mixture of many motifs – too many possibly – for in its design Lutyens almost reaches the limit of credibility. (Amery et al., 1981, cat no. 122)

Large house, used to be a convalescent home, now a family residence. 1899 by Sir Edwin Lutyens for second Lord Hillingdon. Flint with brick, tile and stone dressings, tiles. Tile roof. Rectangular in plan with central courtyard and service range to north west corner. South front of 4 bays, 2 storeys. Loggia to central 2 bays, the upper, timbered, storey supported on arched braces; 2 6-light mullioned and transomed oak windows, the upper row of lights continuing at the sides to form 9 lights; all leaded. To either side of the central bays is a 2-storey 5-sided canted bay, the angles having brick quoins; each face of both storeys has a cross-mullioned leaded window, the horizontal members of stone and the mullion of brick. All the remaining windows are of this pattern. The canted bays have a flat roof but there is a tile hung gable behind. Central axial brick stack. The east front is of 4 bays, 2 storeys with similar flanking bays and windows. Central 2 bays each have a pair of Tuscan columns with semicircular arches, those to the right are open forming a loggia reached by shallow steps; to the right the arches are blocked with brick containing a lunette. The two central bays on the first floor each have a 6- light mullioned and transomed window. Parapet gable from the centre of which rises a tall chimney of 2 lozenge-shaped brick shafts. The west, entrance, front of 2 storeys has irregular fenestration. To the right a massive external chimney stack to the ground floor, tapering, the shoulders with tumbling-in and rising to 2 separate rectangular brick shafts. Central small entrance doorway, stone dressed, with keystone. On its left a 6-light mullioned and transomed window. To the right a 2-light mullioned window. Above the doorway a blank stone panel, then a 12-light mullioned window under the eaves. Through the entrance archway is a square courtyard paved with York stone, millstones and bricks, the opposite wall has a 3-bay arcade of Tuscan columns with semicircular arches with a circular pool under the central arch; a shallow flight of steps from both of the flanking bays rises to the central, main, entrance door which is dated 1900; the doorway has a stone surround and semicircular arched head with keystone; flanked by lunettes with stone dressings and keystones, iron glazing bars. Above the arcade are two bands of tiles which continue round the courtyard, the upper one at sill level of 3 2-light mullioned windows to each face. To the left a central doorway with semicircular arched head and a 4-light mullion; to right 2 3-light mullioned and transomed windows. To the rear, entrance from west front a skeleton archway supported on concave stone piers. Interior. Heavily timbered dining room and staircase, panelled drawing room and library. Door furniture and window furniture all still in situ. (Historic England, list entry 1305906)

Bibliography

Amery, C., Richardson, M. and Stamp, G. (1981) Lutyens, the Work of the English Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944): Hayward Gallery London, 18 November 1981-31 January 1982. London: Arts Council of Great Britain.

Historic England. Overstrand Hall. [Online] Available from: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1305906

Also Cited In

Tyack G, Bradley S, Pevsner N (2010) Berkshire. The Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Gradidge, R. (1982) Edwin Lutyens: Architect Laureate. London: Allen & Unwin.

Weaver, L. (1913) Houses and Gardens by E L Lutyens. London: Country Life.

Aslet, C. (1982) The Last Country Houses. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Pevsner, N. (1966) Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Butler, A., 1950. The architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens: the Lutyens memorial series. Vol 1: Country Houses, Country Life: London and Scibners: New York.

Lawrence, R. R. (2009) The Book of the Edwardian & Interwar House [2013 ed]. London: Aurum Press.

Listing Grade

II

Listing Reference

1305906

Client

Lord Hillingdon