Assolas House

Detached multi-period two-storey country house, facing south-east and having two principal elevations. House now in use as guest house. North-east elevation comprises tower house, built c. 1640, modified to gable-fronted three-bay two-storey block with attic, c. 1780. Flanked to north-west by multiple-bay addition with bow to north-east end, and to south-east by single-bay two-storey addition in turn flanked by present five-bay entrance front facing south-east and having shallow pedimented single-bay breakfront and slightly recessed bowed end walls, latter matching that to north-west. Hipped slate roof, rounded to north-west, south-east and south-west corners, with carved limestone eaves course throughout except for north-west block which has moulded brick eaves, overhanging eaves wider to bowed ends, and rendered chimneystacks, one over tower house gable-front. Gabled dormer windows to north-west block. Rubble limestone walls to tower house. Coursed dressed limestone walls elsewhere, with tooled limestone quoins, cut limestone sill courses to ground floor of south-east elevation and to bows, and having carved limestone surround and slate cladding to pediment. Square-headed window openings with brick surrounds throughout, with limestone sills. Six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor of 1780 additions, first floor of south-east elevation having tripartite three-over-six pane window to breakfront and two-pane timber casement windows with render sills to rest of this elevation and its bows, and three-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows to north-west. Dormer windows have casement windows and slate-hung sides. Tower house has timber sliding sash windows, square-headed six-over-six pane to ground floor, round-headed six-over-six pane to first floor and round-headed opening to attic with two-over-two pane window having traceried fanlight, with render sills. One-bay addition has nine-over-nine pane window to ground floor and three-over-six pane window to first floor. Round-headed entrance doorway to south-east elevation with brick surround, limestone plinths, traceried fanlight and timber panelled double-leaf door, limestone threshold and step, flanked by square-headed sidelights with brick surrounds, limestone sills and four-over-four pane timber sliding sash windows, sills being part of sill course to ground floor of this elevation. Windows to north-west elevation are one-over-one pane timber sliding sash and some replacement windows. Square-headed entrance doorway to north-east elevation, having carved moulded limestone surround, part-glazed timber battened door and limestone threshold. Ornate cast-iron gates to road entrance, piers being papyriform with moulded necks and acorn finials, having decorative double-leaf cast-iron vehicular and single-leaf pedestrian gates. Farmyard complex, built c. 1750, to north of house, with walled garden to east. Outbuildings have pitched slate roofs and coursed rubble limestone walls with square-headed door and window openings. Four-bay two-storey north outbuilding, having brick voussoirs to windows and corrugated-iron fixings to doors, and vehicular entrances, one segmental-arched vehicular entrance with dressed limestone voussoirs and timber battened half-door, second being flat-headed. Ashlar limestone pier to west having carved cap and double-leaf spear-headed cast-iron gates. Four-bay single-storey west outbuilding having replacement timber casement windows with alternate limestone and sandstone voussoirs, and half-glazed timber panelled door. Single-bay single-storey south-west outbuilding. Three-bay single-storey east outbuilding having timber battened doors. Walled garden to east having rubble limestone walls. Square-headed opening with single-leaf, spear-headed cast-iron gate. Square-profile ashlar limestone piers to south having carved rounded caps, with putti statuettes to caps.