Building record 1054900000 - STOCKGROVE PARK HOUSE

Grade II. Country house now school. Begun 1929 and completed 1938 by W Curtis Green for F M Kroyer-Kielberg. Red brick in Flemish bond, limestone dressings; hipped pan- tile roofs; brick ridge stacks. Extended U plan. Free Georgian style. 2 storeys and attic. Entrance front to courtyard has 3-bay centre which breaks forward and has central double-leaf glazed doors, fanlight to round-arched head, stone surround with spandrel panels, plain Tuscan pilasters flanking doorway and supporting entablature and broken segmental pediment framing elaborate cartouche with family arms, crest and supporters. Small narrow 6-pane sash windows either side of door with flat-arched heads. Square 12-pane sashes to 1st floor immediately below moulded stone cornice, and brick pilaster strips to angles. 20-pane sash window to main block to ground floor left of centre, blank window of similar size to ground floor right, both with flat-arched heads and key blocks, star-shaped ornamental brick panels above and pairs of square sash windows to 1st floor left and right of centre. Projections to re-entrant angles housing staircases which have a circular window to ground floor with key block, and 24-pane sash windows to 1st floor. 6-window wings frame courtyard with similar 20-pane sashes to ground floor and similar square sashes to 1st floor. Short return wings define courtyard with similar windows to ground and 1st floors except for door to courtyard side of right return wing near inner corner with overlight and flat-arched head, and circular window to 1st floor above with keyblock. courtyard is closed by gatescreen on low stone-coped brick walls attached to outer angles of return wings. Railings flank double-leaf cast-iron gates and wrought- iron gatepiers with elaborate overthrow: ironwork by Birmingham Guild. House has brick plinth, continuous moulded stone cornice, pair of roof dormers to entrance wing either side of centre with segmental-arched pediments and 12-pane sashes and dormers to side wings with straight heads and 8-pane windows. Asymmetrical timber bell turret to outer end of right courtyard wing with multi-paned windows to base which has pilastered corners, tall bell-chamber openings with round-arched heads flanked by Tuscan pilasters, urns with flame finials to corner of base, ogee lead roof with channelled angles and tall finial in the shape of a pawn. Principal SE elevation to garden has central 2-storey canted bay flanked by glazed garden doors with overlights and segmental-arched heads. 24-pane sashes to ground floor with similar heads, 16-pane sashes to 1st floor with flat-arched heads. Central 1st floor window of bay has stone keyblock with wreath framing date 1929, and large square stone panel above carved in relief with sailing ship. Plain stone-coped parapet which is slightly stepped up above relief. Brick pilaster strips to outer angles, crowned by moulded plinths of tall stone urns with flame finials. Roof dormers behind and projecting above parapet. Steps either side of bay lead down to terrace and join single flight down to lawn. South-west garden elevation has asymmetrical composition and is divided into two planes. Projecting half has central 2-storey, semicircular bow. left half is recessed and has 2-storey canted bay and 2-storey, 2-window projecting wing to far left. Similar windows to main garden front. Corresponding wing to far side of courtyard is a service. Swimming pool is attached to right courtyard wing and flanks right side of approach to courtyard. Pool has double-slope roof, upper slopes glazed, and rows of dormer windows. Entrance to gable end in porch flanked by low hipped roofed projections and tall 28-pane sash window above entrance with eared moulded stone surround and segmental-arched head with key block. Circular window to shaped stone-coped gable with urn and finial to apex. Interior: vestibule has 'T' plan, stone-paved floor, Ancaster stone dado and pilasters and plaster tunnel vault to en#ance bay, groin vault within. Hall is divided by oak fluted Ionic column screen, oak panelling to walls punctuated by fluted pilasters. 3 doors lead to former dining room with moulded wood surrounds and pulvinated friezes with central plaques. That to middle door has eared surround, carved brackets supporting pedi- ment and a hare to frieze plaque. Those either side have cornices, grouse to left frieze plaque and salmon to right. Eared wood chimney-piece opposite, with marble slips, pulvinated acanthus frieze, brackets to shelf and central plaque with putti holding goat. Hall is open to staircase: open well stair of oak with fat balusters on urn feet and square newel posts with elaborate vase finials over- flowing with fruit and flowers, on which pairs of birds are feeding. Former dining room has bolection-moulded panelling with acanthus leaf frieze and round- headed niches either side of early C18 style carved stone chimney-piece. Doors from hall have eared wood surrounds with segmental pediments. Stylized neo- classical style plasterwork to ceiling. Principal corridor has plaster tunnel which is punctuated by moulded stone doorways. Business room, now office, has mid C18 style chimney-piece of stripped pine with swags. Library has walnut panelling with simple Corinthian pilasters , inlay patterns, and fitted bookshelves. Plain Sienna marble chimney-piece outlined in black marble with black marble hearth, shelf, and scalloped shelf back panel. Coved plaster ceiling. Parquet floors to principal rooms. Secondary staircases have open-well stairs and fretwork balustrades. Swimming pool has cantilevered wood balcony above entrance from house with fretwork balustrade. Rectangular piers with bracketed capitals support barrel-vaulted roof with clerestorey lighting. Floors, pool and walls are lined with original blue tiles. Principal bedroom suite has Art-Deco style panelling to sitting room and fitted polygonal cabinet to window pier and black radiator boxes to window reveals with metal grilles. original fittings to bathroom with chrome- plated mounts. The carving of finials to newels of main stair are by J Armitage. Other carving and plasterwork by L A Turner. (Country Life, Sept 30 1939, pp 334-7; W Curtis Green R.A. 1875-1960 (Exhibition catalogue) Jan 1978.) (B1).