Details
LICHFIELD
SK1109NE THE CLOSE
1094-1/5/226 (South East side)
05/02/52 St Mary's House and attached wall
(Formerly Listed as:
THE CLOSE
St Mary's Vicarage)
GV II*
House, now office, in south-east angle of medieval close wall,
with hexagonal stair turret to angle and attached length of
wall extending approx. 42m to foundations of east turret of
south gate. Early C14 wall with contemporary or earlier house,
altered and extended c1710 to form L-plan, with c1805 infill
range to form rectangular plan; extensive alterations of 1805,
1860s and 1966-7; refurbished 1988-90.
Ashlar and brick with ashlar dressings; double-span tile roof
with hipped north end; 2 brick stacks to valley.
West, entrance, front of 2 storeys; 2+2-window range. Half to
left projects, with string course, cornice and rusticated
quoins; plaster cornice to right half.
Entrance to left of centre has architrave and dentilled
cornice, overlight with decorative glazing bars to paired
half-glazed doors. Two 1860s canted bay windows with hipped
roofs with fishscale tiles, that to left end with 4-pane
sashes, that to right of centre has 1:3:1-light transomed
casement; other windows have 1960s top-hung casements.
Left return had 4 windows to each floor, blocked in early C19;
three re-opened to ground flor in 1967, with top-hung
casements, one C19 window inserted to left end of 1st floor,
window to right re-opened c1990, both with 16-pane sashes;
1710 datestone above string to left of centre.
Right return is of ashlar, with 2 brick gables over tiled
offset, turret to right end has pyramidal tile roof. Basement
entrance with leaded overlight to paired 3-panel doors. Window
to ground floor in late C15 moulded jambs with offset sill and
c1805 lintel, and C18 leaded cross-casement; 12-pane sashes to
1st floor and 2-light casement to gable. Low wall to left,
leading to foundations of turret, has attached much-altered
single-storey gabled range.
Turret has 2 small lights, one with C17 casement. Rear
elevation has 3 early C18 windows to basement; 1st flor has
renewed 2-light leaded casement in late C15 opening to left
end, window with leaded cross-casement and brick infill above
and c1805 segmental-headed window to right end with
4:12:4-pane tripartite sash; attic has 3 brick dormers: gabled
dormer with 3-light casement, hipped half-dormer with 3-light
transomed casement and single-pitch dormer with 16-pane
top-hung casement.
INTERIOR: much altered with some C19 fireplaces and doors;
basement retains medieval ashlar and openings, south west
cellar has blocked south entrance with shouldered lintel and
adjacent openings to east; C17 or C18 brick walls and later
groin vaulting; c1710 fireplace with stop-chamfered bressumer;
turret has brick vault. Ground floor has c1805 open-well
stick-baluster stair and some re-used early C18 panelling
below rear window, which has latin inscription of 1758 or
1858; C19 ex-situ fireplace and C18 door. 1st floor has front
room with gypsum floor. Attic has altered medieval roof
trusses with eaves walls, early C18 gypsum floors and
alterations, 2-panel doors and trusses to hipped roof with
curved principals; gabled dormers to valley and short
transverse valley to north of stack have leaded glazing. The
house, although much altered, retains significant remains of
the medieval house suggesting 1st floor hall plan with 2 wings
to west, and interesting early C18 range.
(Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Greenslade M W:
Lichfield: Oxford: 1990-: P.65; Rodwell W: St Mary's House,
Provisional Accnt of its Architectural History: 1988-).
Listing NGR: SK1166009761
