Wrexham Road Farm, Eccleston
Encyclopedia
Wrexham Road Farm was a farmhouse and farm buildings lying to the east of Wrexham Road, Eccleston
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building, and it is now part of Chester Business Park
.
. It was designed by the Chester
architect John Douglas
for the 1st Duke of Westminster
on his Eaton Hall estate. The farmhouse is dated 1880. Douglas had carried out work on the Duke's other farms but this was his first complete farmstead, with the house and the buildings being designed together as a whole. The farm buildings include a barn
, shippons, stables, carthouses, piggeries and a dovecote
. The buildings are no longer used as a farm and have been converted into offices as part of the Chester Business Park.
. The central bay projects forwards and includes a doorway with a single-light window on each side. The other bays, on the ground floor, and all bays in the upper storey, have five-light mullion
ed windows. All three bays are surmounted by Dutch gable
s with ball finial
s. The gables in the lateral bays each contain a small two-light window; the central bay has an oval window. The west face of the farmhouse also has two Dutch gables and stone mullioned windows. The other two faces are plain. A covered passage links the house to the farm buildings. Together with the farmhouse, the farm buildings form a quadrangle
. The buildings are in one and two storeys, built in brick, and have steep roofs. The entrance arch has a half-timbered
upper storey. In the northeast corner of the farmyard is a dovecote surmounted by a spire. In 1888 Douglas submitted his design for this building and for Saighton Lane Farm
at the Royal Academy
. The authors of the Buildings of England
express the opinion that this is "one of the most agreeable of all Douglas' model farms".
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, and it is now part of Chester Business Park
Chester Business Park
Chester Business Park is located to the south of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England and is sited to the east of Wrexham Road and to the north of the Chester southerly bypass .The business park opened in 1988 and occupies an area of...
.
History
The farm was built between 1877 and 1884 as a model farmModel Farm
A model farm was an 18th–19th century experimental farm, which researched and demonstrated improvements in agricultural techniques, efficiency, and building layout. Education and commitment to improving welfare standards of workers were also aspects of the ideal farm movement...
. It was designed by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
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...
for 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...
on his Eaton Hall estate. The farmhouse is dated 1880. Douglas had carried out work on the Duke's other farms but this was his first complete farmstead, with the house and the buildings being designed together as a whole. The farm buildings include a barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
, shippons, stables, carthouses, piggeries and a dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
. The buildings are no longer used as a farm and have been converted into offices as part of the Chester Business Park.
Architecture
The farmhouse is built in brick with stone dressings and has two storeys plus attics. The entrance front faces south and has three baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The central bay projects forwards and includes a doorway with a single-light window on each side. The other bays, on the ground floor, and all bays in the upper storey, have five-light 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 windows. All three bays are surmounted by Dutch gable
Dutch gable
A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of a roof, like a normal gable...
s with ball 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...
s. The gables in the lateral bays each contain a small two-light window; the central bay has an oval window. The west face of the farmhouse also has two Dutch gables and stone mullioned windows. The other two faces are plain. A covered passage links the house to the farm buildings. Together with the farmhouse, the farm buildings form a quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
. The buildings are in one and two storeys, built in brick, and have steep roofs. The entrance arch has a half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
upper storey. In the northeast corner of the farmyard is a dovecote surmounted by a spire. In 1888 Douglas submitted his design for this building and for Saighton Lane Farm
Saighton Lane Farm
Saighton Lane Farm is a historical farm in Saighton Lane, to the north-northeast of the village of Saighton, Cheshire, England. The farmhouse and the farm buildings are recognised separately as Grade II listed buildings by English Heritage.-History:...
at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. The authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
express the opinion that this is "one of the most agreeable of all Douglas' model farms".