Listed Building record MDO11121 - Parnham, Beaminster

A medieval house extant in 1400. Some building was done in the late 15th century but the majority of the house was rebuilt during the mid 16th century. Additions and alterations were carried out during the 17th century, mid 18th century and in 1810. The 1810 refashioning and extending of the building was carried out by Nash. The building is of ashlar lias stone with stone slate and lead roofs. The house has an irregular E-shaped plan.

Parnham is a three-storeyed house of local rubble faced with ashlar, and although much restored is a building of considerable interest.

A house is said to have been built here about 1400 by John Gerard and some building was done by William Strode at the end of the 15th century, but the house was largely or entirely rebuilt by Robert Strode in the mid 16th century. To this date belong the hall with its porches and the original kitchen wing to the north. The present kitchen wing was built as a separate structure in the 17th century.

Further alterations were made by George Strode (d.1753), and in 1810 the dining-room was added from the designs of Nash who probably remodelled the south front.

The west front is also attributed to him. <1-2>

Parnham (name confirmed) is a large and well-preserved stone mansion. Dating and details as given by Authority 2. See photo. <3>

Parnham House. <5>

<1> DOE (HRR), 1950, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Beaminster Rural District 1950, 9 (Scheduling record). SDO17358.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 21-23 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(5) PARNHAM, house 1,100 yards S.S.W. of the church, is of three storeys; the walls are of local rubble, ashlar-faced, and the roofs are covered with stone slates and lead. A house is said to have been built here c. 1400 by John Gerard and some building was done here by William Strode at the end of the 15th century. Robert Strode seems to have largely or entirely rebuilt the house about the middle of the 16th century; to this date belongs the hall with its porches, the wing, originally the kitchen-wing, immediately adjoining the hall on the N., and no doubt another wing to the S. The present kitchen-wing to the N.W. was built as a separate structure in the 17th century. The house was much altered by George Strode (d. 1753) who enlarged it and remodelled the S. and W. fronts. The house passed to the family of Oglander in 1764, and in 1808 various minor alterations were made. In 1810 the Dining Room was added from the designs of Nash who probably remodelled the S. front, and the parapets, pinnacles and gables are mostly of this period. There have been various later alterations and restorations, the kitchen-wing has been joined up to the main building and almost completely modernised.

Thought much restored the house is still a building of considerable interest and the W. front by John Nash and the S. front, almost certainly attributable to him, are an important early 19th century composition in the romantic style (Plate 75). Inside the house there are various notable fittings.

The E. front (Plate 73) has been very considerably restored and few of the details are original. The windows generally have four-centred lights and square heads with moulded reveals and labels. The middle window of the hall is an insertion with the chimney-stack above it. The three-storeyed porch (Plate 74) has diagonal buttresses and a moulded plinth; the outer archway has moulded jambs and four-centred head; above it is a two-storeyed oriel window, resting on moulded corbelling; the windows are of three lights on the face and one on each return; above the lower window is a 17th century cartouche with the arms of Strode impaling three helmets. The N. Front has been refaced. The S. Front, remodelled early in the 19th century, is divided into bays by shallow buttresses in two stages finishing in pinnacles above the embattled parapet, the lofty windows on ground and first floors are transomed and mullioned; the fifth bay from the E. is gabled and contains a two-storey bay-window. The W. Front retains an original four-light window in the W. wall of the original porch on the first floor; the dining-room block and the outer porch are additions of 1810 and their features are similar in design to those of the S. front, with the exception of the dining-room windows which were altered later in the century and have square-headed lights. The Kitchen Wing retains some 17th century ashlar facing but the details have all been renewed.

Interior. The Great Hall is entered, from the E. porch, by an original doorway with moulded jambs and four-centred arch in a square head with foliated spandrels enclosing blank shields; the door, of the same age, has five ranges of panels, strap-hinges and a knocker; the corresponding doorway on the W. has chamfered jambs and restored head and is fitted with a 17th century panelled door. In the N. wall are two doorways, one reset, similar to the E. doorway of the hall; one is fitted with restored and altered door. The screen, brought from elsewhere, is of c. 1600 and has three ranges of panels finished with a moulded and embattled cornice; the upper panels are enriched and the doorway has jamb-shafts and a four-centred head; the gallery-front is made up of old materials. At the S. end of the hall are three original doorways with four-centred heads and partly restored. The two 16th century windows in the W. wall were formerly blocked; they are both of four four-centred and transomed lights. The fireplace is modern but has a wooden surround, consisting of parts of a 15th century screen. The ceiling has moulded beams and joists. The three E. windows contain old glass as follows: in the first window, eight mid 16th century shields-of-arms, mostly with wreaths, (a) Trenchard, (b) Wadham, (c) Burt, (d) Strangways, (e) quartered coat of Courtenay, (f) quartered coat of Strode and the date and name, 1559, John Strode, (g) quartered coat of Paulet with the garter, (h) Delalynde; in the second window, series of eight Flemish 16th century roundels in wreaths; they include figures of St Peter, St Jerome, St James the Less (?), St John the Baptist, an abbess, etc., with some Flemish heraldry; in the third window, eight mid 16th century shields-of-arms, with wreaths, (a) quartered arms of Arundel, (b) Tregonwell, (c) Paulet impaling Tregonwell (?), (d) quartered coat of Morgan (?), (e) Sacheverel, (f) made up quartered coat of Bitton, (g) quartered coat of Morgan, (h) Marward (?). The S.E. Staircase is of early 17th century date, brought from elsewhere and rearranged; it has turned balusters, enriched strings and newels with shaped and pierced finials; the walls are lined with reset 17th century panelling. The Drawing Room has two late 17th century door surrounds with enriched eared architraves, carved friezes and cornices; a reset doorway of the same date in the E. wall has Corinthian side-pilasters, enriched entablature and broken pediment; the late 17th century-style fireplace has moulded marble surround and an overmantel with carved festoons and pendants of fruit and flowers; the room has a panelled dado. The Dining Room has reset 17th century panelling and a reset early 17th century fireplace with moulded jambs and four-centred arch in a square head; above it is an enriched double frieze. The windows have two large glass panels of c. 1500, partly repaired and bearing the arms of Henry VII and figures of St George and the dragon. The Staircase N. of the hall is of c. 1710-30; the walls are lined with mid 17th century panelling and in the W. wall is a wooden five-light window of the same period. The Cloak Room, to the W. has a 16th century five-light window in the W. wall, formerly external. The Oak Room or Sitting Room at the N. end of the main block is lined with early 16th century linen-fold panelling, said to have come from West Hawsley Place. In the windows is a series of Flemish or Dutch roundels with heraldry and figure-subjects including (a) the Baptism, dated 1611, (b) Judith and Holofernes, dated 1666, (c) Zacharias and Elizabeth, dated 16.1, (d) Abraham and the angels, 16.0, (e) Samson and the Philistines, 1679, (f) four oval quarries with ships and sea-battles, dated 1666 and 1667, (g) St Peter and St Catherine, 1585, and heraldry dated 1658, 1655, 1607 and 1542. The doorway has a four-centred head and E. of it is a hatch with a head of the same form. On the first floor the room above the cloakroom has a five-light 16th century window in the W. wall and a wooden 17th century window of four lights in the E. wall; the reset early 17th century fireplace has a four-centred head and above it is a later 17th century overmantel with three ranges of panelling, painted with putti, flowers, etc. The room over the Oak Room has some reset 17th century panelling and a 16th century fireplace with a four-centred arch in square head. The rooms further S. have a considerable amount of reused 17th century panelling; the room over the Drawing Room has carved 17th century woodwork round the fireplace and the room over the Library has a reset 17th century overmantel (Plate 47) of three bays with a cared entablature and terminal figures on the pilasters; the side panels have conventional foliage and the middle panel has a figure-subject of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. The room over the Dining Room has a reset overmantel of c. 1630 and of two bays divided and flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters supporting an enriched entablature; the bays have each an enriched arched panel.'

<3> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 13-MAY-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<4> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1962 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 47500028) Parnham (NR)

<5> Department of the Environment, 1983, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset, 22/12/1983 (Scheduling record). SDO16336.

<6> Lane, R, Chesher, J and McAllister, J, 2021, Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset: Historic Building Assessment (Monograph). SDO17594.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF099518 PARNHAM HOUSE, BEAMINSTER (Index). SDO14738.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F148/4 THE EAST FACE OF PARNHAM HOUSE AT BEAMINSTER FROM THE EAST (Index). SDO14738.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F75/4 PLAN OF PARNHAM HOUSE AT BEAMINSTER (Index). SDO14738.

Photographer: UNKNOWN

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F77/2 17-18THC PARNHAM HOUSE AT BEAMINSTER (Index). SDO14738.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 193034 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 5 2025 4:39PM