Building record 0409101000 - PREBENDAL HOUSE, AYLESBURY

Grade II+. C18 altered. Three-storeys. Rendered strings at first and second floor levels. Moulded cornice. Hipped slate roof. The entrance front facing churchyard has five windows and narrow panels flanking central window to upper floors. Two three light windows on ground floor and two narrow windows flanking door and under panels on upper floors. Eight-panel central door in panelled reveal with architrave surround, curved frieze, moulded cornice and central key-block with bedmould of cornice broken forward over. Architrave has rusticated blocks. Central porch of two Ionic columns, wall pilasters and entablature with carved frieze carved with oak leaf pattern, bracketed cornice and pediment. The garden front has flanking C19 bays formerly with central porch between, of engaged Doric columns and entablature with triglyph frieze and dentilled cornice. Formerly the central first floor window had a similar surround. Comtemporary stair and other interior fittings including some panelling and fireplaces. Lower red brick south wing. For some time home of John Wilkes, whose wife was of local family. Staircase with carved spandrels and spiral turned balusters rises full height of house. Hall has segmental arch with archivolt on fluted Doric columns. West garden front has 2 storey semi-octagonal bays. Central staircase sash window in eared architrave surround, fluted Roman Ionic pilasters, entablature with pulvinated frieze, modillion pediment (B6).
First record of the Prebendal (manor) house in 1656, when it was a stone & timber buildings. The present brick structure was built in the early C18; extensively modified in 1750s & 1825. Fully restored in 1976-7 (B3-5).
Today is a big stuccoed C18 house, 5 bays & 3 storeys (B6).
Two barrel-vaulted brick cellars on a diagonal off-set from the main house and later south wing may be survivals from an earlier house south of the present one. The 1656 manor house was replaced with a house built between 1700 and 1710 by William Mead. This is a double pile Queen Anne house with double pitched roof. Aspects of this house that may survive include tie-beams within the attic floor; Gibbsian door on the east front; windows to the side of the doors on the east and west front (latter are blocked) and 7 windows on the east fron first floor, two of which are blocked. Some ground floor partitions may survive, for instance south of the entrance hall. Traces of the original partition lines possibly within the ceiling of the NW ground floor room and perhaps the cellars beneath the northern half of the main block.
A square ground floor extension to the south of the house may have been an early 18th century extension or the original kitchen. In the 1750s John Wilkes made alterations. Those that survive include a portico on the east front door; surviving over door window on west; alterations to windows on east and west; altered roof to make it single pitch; constructed the south wing; long extension to south of main block; inserted open staircase; stable and coach-house perhaps created from earlier barn; brick entrance gateway.
In 1825 Thomas Tindal also made changes. The roof was raised; new second storey windows; current room divisions established; east front windows altered; two bay windows added on west front; porch on west door; perhaps extended stairs to second floor and inserted window over stairs; added a two storey extension to centre of north elevation; added a conservatory on south side of dining room; rendered exterior; built outhouses?; acquired part of the tithe barn and arrached it to the coach-house; fireplace in entrance hall and room above; passage connecting cellars beneath the main block.
Later alterations include: 1900-13 single storey extension added to SW corner; 1930s-1974 converted to school so conservatory used as a classroom and some of the bathrooms were inserted; 1976-7 the Countess Rosebery removed extension on northern side and reconverted the conservatory, moved some internal features, inserted lift; 1981 onwards - courtyard enclosed, stairs altered in south wing, remodelled coach-house, floor inserted in brew-house (B7).
Oxford Archaeology carried out an historic building recording and watching brief at Prebendal House during conversion works. The building recording concentrated on hitherto unseen areas exposed during the works, these included floor joists following the lifting of floorboards, the demolition of partitions, removal of inserted staircase and opening of windows within the cellars. A small attic space in the 1750s extension was recorded prior to being fixed shut and the opportunity was taken to study the timber framing of the coach house, although both these areas would remain relatively unscathed bythe construction works. The building recording during the construction works did not produce any further significant changes to our understanding of the Prebendal House buildings, but rather confirmed the current understanding and allowed a photographic and drawn record of the building to be made. The archaeological watching brief revealed a substantial north-south aligned linear feature to the west of the site. The feature was cut by 3 pits, one of which contained 14th century pottery. A large undated pit was revealed to the east, which appeared to be truncated by the construction trench for the southernmost of 2 brick vaulted cellars of Prebendal House. It is probable that these cellars may have survivied from a 17th century precursor to the 18th century house. The cellars under the southern wing of the house appear to be on a similar alignment and are possibly associated. Both the cellars appearewd to truncate a section of brick wall on a slightly different alignment to the main house, and possibly representing a remaining component of an earlier structure (B10).