Listed Building record MDO14297 - Waddon Manor, Portesham

A late 17th century manor house with garden house, stables, cart shed, workshop and various garden walls of the 18th century.

As described. The house was known as Waddon House in 1955. <1>

Waddon House - name confirmed - is as described by <3>. The large stone barn S. of the house is dated 1702. Published 1:2500 detail correct. <4>

<1> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 15-APR-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<1.1> Halford, R, Oral: Mr R Halford (farm manager), Waddon House, Waddon, Portesham (Verbal communication). SDO20134.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 62008579) Waddon House (NR)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 243-244 (Monograph). SDO149.

'(8) Waddon Manor (620857) is U-shaped on plan, with a courtyard open to the S. (plan p. 244; Plate 141). The N. and E. ranges are of one storey and attics, with walls of squared Portland rubble and slate-covered roofs; the W. range is of two storeys and attics, partly with a basement, and has Portland ashlar walls and stone-slated roof. The manor came to Colonel Bullen Reymes as part of his wife's inheritance in 1651 (Dorset Worthies No. 9. D.N.H.A.S. (1964)); he enlarged and improved a pre-existing house and the E. and N. ranges are of this date; further work was carried out c. 1700 by Henry Chafin, who gave the W. range its present form. Part of the house which extended further W. was burnt down in 1704; its position is shown by a plastered section of the present W. wall.

The W. range of Waddon Manor is an accomplished and elegant work of the period c. 1700, containing good contemporary panelling of considered architectural design.

The W. range has rusticated quoins, a first-floor plat-band and a timber eaves cornice with modillions; the windows generally have double-hung sashes set within moulded stone architraves with keystones, but towards the N. end are some windows uniform with those in the N. and E. ranges. These lower ranges have a coved plaster eaves cornice and windows with stone architraves, mullions and transoms. Towards the S. end of the E. range is an arched carriage doorway. Inside, the 'White Parlour' (Plate 142) at the S. end of the W. range is lined with bolection-moulded panelling; the dining room and three of the bedrooms have ovolo-moulded and fielded panelling. The principal doorways have moulded and shouldered architraves with pediments. The staircase of c. 1710 (Plate 57) has a cut string, turned newels, turned and octagonal balusters, and a dog-gate.

The gateway to the courtyard has square stone piers with ball finials; a gateway to the garden, W. of the house, has rusticated stone piers with entablatures and ball finials.

Garden House, E. of house, of stone with a tiled roof, is of the early 18th century; it is rectangular and has a pyramidal roof with a ball finial at the apex. Barn, S. of the house, has stone walls and a thatched roof; it is dated 1702, is L-shaped and partly of two storeys. Barn, S.E. of house, has stone walls and a modern iron roof. It is of the 17th century and has doorways with moulded jambs and lintels and stone-mullioned windows.'

<4> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F2 JWS 12-MAR-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<4.1> Chaffyn-Grove, C, Oral: C Chaffyn-Grove (owner), Waddon House, Waddon, Portesham (Verbal communication). SDO20135.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452419 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 14 2023 4:12PM