Eccleston Paddocks
Encyclopedia
Eccleston Paddocks is a large house in the village of Eccleston
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. When the French architect Paul Sédille
saw it, he exclaimed "C'est un petit château!"
of the 1st Duke of Westminster
. It was designed by the Chester architect John Douglas
. The full complex consisted of the house, estate offices and stables. The service wing was demolished in 1960.
. The basement and ground floor are in red sandstone
, with horizontal bands of lighter stone. The upper part of the house is in red brick with some blue-brick diapering
and stone bands; the dressings are in carved stone. The roof is of red tiles, it is steep and hipped
and rising from its apex is a massive brick chimney.
The entrance is on the north face. Above the projecting arched doorway is a mullion
ed and transomed
staircase window. Over this a two-light window in a gable
, flanked by two small turret
s. The entrance bay is surmounted by two hipped roofs on each side of which are dormer
windows. To the right of the entrance bay are three more bays, containing a small door, and irregularly placed windows. The left bay is surmounted by a steep conical roof and the other bays by gables containing windows. The truncated service wing is to the right of this. The east front overlooks the garden. On each corner is a large turret with a conical roof, between which are two gabled bays with windows. The south front has two projecting gabled bays. On the top of every gable and roof is a finial
. The original service wing included an arched gateway with a pyramid roof and a turret with a conical roof.
Eccleston, Cheshire
Eccleston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, and close to Chester...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. When the French architect Paul Sédille
Paul Sédille
Paul Sédille was a French architect and theorist; and designed the 1880 reconstruction of the iconic Magasins du Printemps department store in Paris.- Life :...
saw it, he exclaimed "C'est un petit château!"
History
Eccleston Paddocks was built in 1883 for Cecil Parker, the nephew and land agentLand agent
Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts.Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry of the United Kingdom, supervising the farming of the property by farm labourers and/or...
of the 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
. It was designed by the Chester architect John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
. The full complex consisted of the house, estate offices and stables. The service wing was demolished in 1960.
Architecture
The house has 2½ storeys and a basementBasement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
. The basement and ground floor are in red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, with horizontal bands of lighter stone. The upper part of the house is in red brick with some blue-brick diapering
Diapering
Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, silverwork etc. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.-Etymology:...
and stone bands; the dressings are in carved stone. The roof is of red tiles, it is steep and hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
and rising from its apex is a massive brick chimney.
The entrance is on the north face. Above the projecting arched doorway is a mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
staircase window. Over this a two-light window in a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
, flanked by two small turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s. The entrance bay is surmounted by two hipped roofs on each side of which are dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
windows. To the right of the entrance bay are three more bays, containing a small door, and irregularly placed windows. The left bay is surmounted by a steep conical roof and the other bays by gables containing windows. The truncated service wing is to the right of this. The east front overlooks the garden. On each corner is a large turret with a conical roof, between which are two gabled bays with windows. The south front has two projecting gabled bays. On the top of every gable and roof is a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The original service wing included an arched gateway with a pyramid roof and a turret with a conical roof.