Monkton House, Melksham Road, Broughton Gifford, Melksham Without , Wiltshire

Monkton House, Melksham Road, Broughton Gifford, Melksham Without, Wiltshire: Statement of Significance & Heritage Statement JME Conservation Ltd. August 2015 1 JME CONSERVATION Tel 01225 480 786 E-mail: [email protected] Mobile 07905 019 178 Web www.jmeconservation.co.uk Research parameters: This Heritage Statement has been prepared to accompany applications for plan- ning permission and listed building consent for repairs and internal and external alterations to the main house, the formation of a swimming pool and the conversion of an existing garden building to a pool house at Monkton House Broughton Gifford, Melksham Without, which together with its attached garden walls is a Grade II* listed building in the open countryside. The purposes of this statement are firstly to provide an assessment of the significance of the designated heritage asset, and secondly, to assess the impacts of the proposals upon the significance of the house, its attached garden walls and setting. There are other ancillary structures within the historic curtilage of Monkton House including the outbuildings to the east on the garden boundary and northeast on the boundary with Monkton Farm, the garden building to the south and the stepped terraces leading down to the river all of which are Grade II* curtilage listed buildings and the impact of the proposals on these structures will also be considered. The statement does not provide a detailed historical appraisal of the site, nor does it record in detail the complete architectural development of the building. It pro- vides a proportionate assessment of significance for the purposes of understanding the significance of the designated heritage asset, its setting, and the impacts of the works in order to inform the current applications. This report is primarily based upon a visual assessment of the heritage assets supported by sufficient additional documentary research to elucidate the results of the visual assessment. A full ex- amination of documentary and other sources has not been undertaken. © The illustrations and information contained within this report remain the copyright of JME Conservation Ltd and may not be reproduced without written permission. JME Conservation Limited Registered Company No 7480523 Registered office No 21, St. Thomas Street, Bristol BS1 6JS Directors: JM Enticknap BA Hons TP, MA Conservation Studies, IHBC; D Haigh BA Hons Arch & Ancient Hist, MA English Local History, AA Grad Dip Cons, IHBC, FSA Scot, 2 Monkton House, Melksham Road, Broughton Gifford, Melksham Without , Wiltshire. Statement of Significance and Heritage Statement. Brief Description of Monkton House and its setting: There are several histories of Monkton House currently available of which the latest, written in 1993 by Pam Slocomb for the Wiltshire Buildings Record, is the most reliable and includes a detailed history of ownerships. The current assessment differs slightly in its phasing of the building and clarifies the 19th and 20th century history of the site. Archaeological research in 2014, and preliminary opening up works in 2015 have provided additional information which has informed this report. Monkton House is a former manor house which, together with Monkton Farm lies in open countryside to the south of Broughton Gifford and west of Melksham between Melksham Road and the River Avon. Access to the site is via a long winding drive marked by a pair of modest stone gate piers with four sided gabled caps. The fields lining the drive are of rough grazing containing mature trees providing an almost park like setting with distant views of the house and adjacent farm. The house only comes into close view once the drive passes between two traditional stone rubble barns after which it opens into a wide circular turning area in front of the house. Fig 1, The east front seen from the entrance drive. The formal gardens are concealed behind the high wall to the left and the main door is from the south reached via the imposing door into the garden. A door in the right hand gable of the lean-to opens into a small porch for the original front door that now serves the service rooms. The east elevation of the house is set behind a low stone wall enclosing a small paved yard accessed via a small wrought iron pedestrian gate. To the right (north) of the house is a small enclosed area of lawn set behind a stone rubble garden wall that defines the turning area in front of the house and links it to a small stone rubble 3 Fig 2, The gate piers at the entrance to the site appear to be of mid 20th century date, and are too small for their pedimented capitals which appear to have been reused. Erected after 1950 they are not considered to be curtilage listed. Fig 3, The former stable and coach house seen from the west with a later lean-to extension on the right. The two larger openings have been converted to garaging with up and over doors inserted, whilst the former stable has been converted to a workshop. To the right are earthwork remains leading down to the river. 4 one and a half storey stable with an attached two storey barn on the north side of the turning area. These buildings are separated by a small field from Monkton Farm which was until the late 20th century in the same ownership. Fig 4, Adjacent to the house is a second former stable and hayloft with the attached barn and lean-to garage. Just visible to the left of the garage are the roofs of the farm buildings of Monkton Farm, sold off in 1958. On the left (south) side of the house is an impressive 18th century rubblestone garden wall with an overhanging moulded stone coping incorporating a reset ashlar archway and a fine 17th century door. It runs from the south east corner of the house eastwards as far as the low stone garden wall in front of the house, before running at right-angles down to the river Avon. A blocked window adjacent to the Fig 5, The east front with the stone arched garden entrance to the left. The high wall continues down to the river. The gravelled garden path leads to the current front door in the south gable of this range. 5 garden gate suggests this section of wall was originally part of a demolished outbuilding in the front garden of the house. This wall shields the formal gardens on the south of the house from the entrance courtyard and they are entered via a fine dressed stone semi-circular arched doorway containing a reset good quality historic cross-boarded and ribbed timber door. Fig 6. The south front showing the garden gate to the right and the main entrance with its pedimented doorcase. The gardens to the south front are arranged as a series of terraces stepping down to the banks of the Avon with a partly walled vegetable garden to the west and lawns to the west and north of the main house. Setting: Although historically within the parish of Broughton Gifford, Monkton House is now within the modern parish of Melksham Without. Until 1958 the house and its associated farm formed a small estate at the southern edge of the parish almost Fig 7, The view east showing the open rural landscape setting with the access drive just visible to the left, and the river Avon on the right. 6 1km from the rest of the village. Originally a small hamlet known as Little Broughton, which had its own chapel in the 13th century, the estate had been given to the abbey of Monkton Farleigh by 1166. Earthworks within the fields east of the house and higher ground to the north may indicate the site of this hamlet. Until the 20th century most of the fields of Broughton were pasture and the immediate surroundings of Monkton House are predominantly pasture fields within the flood plain of the river Avon, with some mature predominantly hedgerow trees. As a consequence there are extensive views over the surrounding open landscape except on the north side where the slightly rising ground and the spread of farm buildings associated with Monkton Farm restrict views. Development of the building: Monkton House is constructed of coursed stone rubble with stone ashlar quoins and dressings, with prominent gables to the elevations and stone slate roofs. All the elevations are of two storeys and attics; and although constructed at different times, virtually all the windows have dressed stone surrounds with the same hollow chamfered moulding detail, stone mullions and label moulds. The irregular distribution of windows particularly within the north and east elevations reflect the antiquity of the building. The east range: Approaching the house from the entrance drive the first impression of the building is of its informal appearance, simple detailing and deceptively modest scale, which is emphasised by the fact that the gravelled forecourt is at a slightly higher level than the house. The house is set behind a small paved yard fronted by a low stone wall. Fig 8, The east elevation of the east range facing the entrance drive, with the buttress and lean-to on the left which replace a demolished projecting range; and a single storey range with a hipped roof added to the right, possibly replacing an earlier two-storey structure. 7 This elevation has stone mullioned windows, a double gable with stone copings and decorative finials, end stacks, and a stone slate roof. A single storey lean-to on the left hand side contains a boarded door in the centre which opens into a coal store, which is lit by a pair of 20th century 4-light casement windows.

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