Building record 0154001000 - BULSTRODE PARK

Grade II. Original house built 1676-85 by Judge Jeffries. The present house by Benjamin Ferrey, 1860-2, for the 12th Duke of Somerset. Red brick with some diaperwork and stone dressings; slate roof. Two and 3 storeys. Entrance (N) facade: Battlemented tower porch with a tall oriel window and a pyramidal roof flanked by gabled bays, 3 on the left end 2 on the right. Forward of the extreme left gable and with a 2-storeyed pyramidal capped polgonal turret in the corner is a gabled 2-storey 4-bay block and, to the left of this again, is another gabled one-storey 2-bay block. Forward of this yet again is the west side of the Outer Court, entered through a Gothic arch with ducal crest in the gable and flanked by railings. The other 3 sides of this court have an arcade of equal EE piers with shaft rings. At the centre of the east side is a block with 2 gables and a little turret between them. Against the roof of the north side a little pointed polygonal turret. The south side of the Outer Court has a central low gabled block with a little pointed polygonal turret and, on the right, a clock turret with bell above. Through this block access to the Inner Court, a pictorially less lively composition in whose east range, however, there is perhaps something of the earlier building. Garden(s) facade: with a polygonal pointed capped turret on the left and then 7 bays of which Nos 1, 4 and 7 are gabled. At ground level a 6-bay veranda with coupled spirally-fluted columns each with 2 shaft rings. Interiors much remodelled in a neo-Georgian way by F C Eden in late C19/early C20, but the principal staircase of wood is original as is the vaulted and glazed hall with its iron railings and clusters of 4 twisted columns with east-east capitals and shaft rings (B6).
Originally seat of Bulstrodes. Judge Jeffreys built dated brick house in 1686, but some parts appear older (B2-3).
Late C18 Gothic rebuild to Wyatt's plans with Repton gardens, but building not completed. Derelict until 1867 when Duke of Somerset built present house, by Benjamin Ferrey. (Full description)(B2-8).
The Duke of Somerset commenced building the present house about 1860. Messrs Cubitt were the builders. Some time elapsed before the foundations of the house could be commenced on account of the difficulty of finding good brick earth. A good vein was discovered on the High Meadows on the hill opposite to the end of the Duke's wood. A kiln was erected near the present block of cottages and the bricks proved good and hard [See CAS 05048] (B10).
Watching brief of drainage trench to west of house produced evidence for the backfilling and landscaping of the cellars associated with the Jeffrey's west wing, with an area of made ground matching a spur on the 1784 Bulstrode estate map, and which may indicate a passageway linking the cellars within the main house and the cellars excavated within the west wing. Watching brief of the excavation of a pit for a storage tank west of the Pigeon Tower revealed a structure, from the bricks thought to be contemporary with the Pigeon Tower or Jeffrey's building. It is too far north to be the well-house shown on 1875 OS map and may be a gatekeeper's or gardener's cottage. It was sealed by 1860s remodelling deposits from the garden. The drainage ditch to the south did not provide any evidence for the Jeffrey's south front, the ground level having been lowered. Drainage ditch to the south-east of the house showed landscaping. A wall was found in the road leading to the secondary courtyard entrance and the brick matches the 1861 phase of the house. It was perhaps a low wall leading to the entrance. The ditches to the north-east of the house found evidence of WW2 occupation and a railway, suggesting an ammunition storage area, and post-war landscaping (B13).
Detailed study of the development of the house from the 17th century. A new house was built in the first half of the 17th century to replace one that burnt down. An engraving of 1730 shows Judge Jeffrey's house of the 1680s that possible incorporated some of this earlier house. There was a fire again in 1685 after Jeffrey's restoration and only the old hall and chapel were saved. Rebuilding was completed in 1686. Hans Wilhelm Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, bought the estate in 1706 and remodelled the gardens but did not alter the house very much. The 3rd Duke of Portland, his great-grandson, remodelled the house in the early 19th century, including demolishing Jeffrey's west wing and building a new one with towers. The 4th Duke of Portland sold it to the 11th Duke of Somerset in 1810. The house fell into disrepair. The 12th Duke completely rebuilt the house after 1855; it was completed by 1862. It has not been much altered since apart from the interior (B14).
Building recording of outbuildings to the north-east of the main house prior to demolition and subsequent watching brief revealed that this area was subject to a large scale building programme during the 19th century. The staff cottage was found to be the eastern end of an originally much longer building that was probably part of the 19th century stables. A garden wall along the north and east sides of this courtyard was of a similar date. The workshops were constructed at a slightly later date, possibly late 19th century. A garage was built on the east of the workshop in the 20th century. The eastern end of the workshop was probably a farriers and the western end was probably a coach-house. The print shop was mid 20th century and was probably built during the Second World War (see CAS 1540:01:001) (B15).