Listed Building: MERLEY HOUSE (412556)

POOLE SZ09NW MERLEY PARK LANE 958-1/2/116(South side) 14/06/54 Merley House (Formerly Listed as: MERLEY PARK ROAD Merley House, Flat Nos 1, 2 & 5-11 (consec)) GV I Formerly known as: Merley House HIGHER MERLEY LANE. Country house, now museum and flats. 1752-1760. For Ralph Willett. Wings added 1772. Altered c1805 for his heir John Willett Adye. Wings demolished c1813. Various C20 alterations. Red brick in Flemish bond with Portland stone dressings, rendered to sides and garden front. Hipped slate roofs and rendered ridge stacks. Modified double-pile plan. Basement, 2 principal storeys and attic storey; 7-window range. Slightly projecting 3-bay centre consists of 2 principal storeys only and is faced with Portland stone. Double-leaf, 6-panel door approached by 6 stone steps with fanlight, recessed in smooth rusticated projecting stone surround with round-arched, key-blocked head, moulded cornice and blocking cornice. Door is flanked by 15-pane sash windows with Gibbs surrounds and moulded cornices. First floor has attached portico of 3/4 Ionic columns and full-length sash windows with moulded, round-arched heads, key blocks and curved iron balconies. Swagged ornament above central first-floor windows. Plaques with 'feet' above windows either side. Columns bear entablature with pulvinated frieze and pediment. Ground floor windows to outer bays have 15-pane sashes and moulded stone surrounds. 6-pane attic windows with similar surrounds. Rusticated stone basement with pairs of windows either side of centre which have key blocks; that to far left altered C19 to tripartite windows. Rusticated quoins, stone storey band at first-floor level and moulded stone cornice. Brick stone-coped parapets broken by sections of balustrade above window, and with stone pedestals either end and to middle of each section. Lead rainwater and down pipes between outer windows with initials RW above date 1756 to heads. 5-bay garden front has slightly recessed 3-bay centre with central glazed garden doors approached by 4 stone steps; moulded stone surround to door with segmental pediment on console brackets. Ground-floor windows have 15-pane sashes and moulded stone surrounds with pulvinated friezes and pediments. 12-pane sashes to first floor and 6-pane sashes to the attic storey, all with moulded stone surrounds. Rusticated basement has 4 windows with key blocks. End bays are defined by rusticated quoins. First-floor stone storey band, moulded stone cornice and rendered stone-coped parapet broken by sections of balustrade above windows, with stone pedestals either end. 3-bay side elevation with similar treatment; C19 rendered porch to left side elevation. INTERIOR: hall has stone-paved floor and stone bolection-moulded chimneypiece. Niche opposite front door flanked by Roman Doric pilasters, which formerly held Rysbrack's statue of Ralph Willett's uncle John Willett now in Musee Royale des Beaux Arts, Brussels. Enriched plaster panel mouldings to walls. Doric plaster frieze with metopes and triglyphs. Compartmented Palladian-style enriched plaster ceiling. Staircase hall: stair has column newels with pendant acorns below upper newels, balusters of columns on spiral fluted urns. 2 to a tread, scrolled tread end and ramped wreathed handrail veneered with lignum vitae. Walls have enriched plaster planel mouldings and drops of fruit and flowers. Band of Greek key ornament at first-floor level. Enriched rococo plaster ceiling. Morning room to south-east corner has eaved wood surround to fireplace with swag of fruit and flowers to tablet. Ceiling enriched with papier mache rococo ornament. Frieze with alternating palmette and anthemion. Old Library or Saloon in middle of south front has late C18 statuary marble chimneypiece with verde antico slips and large tablet with Apollo attended by the 3 Graces and Muses. Enriched plaster ceiling with sunburst and clouds to centre enclosed by linked garlands of fruit and flowers and attributes of the Arts to each corner in cartouches. Drawing Room has similar chimneypiece with playing cherubs to tablet. Important enriched plaster ceiling with Judgement of Paris to large central oval panel in low relief and outer scrolled border with allegorical figures to cartouches at each cornice. Bracketed cornice and enriched frieze with continuous floral garland upheld at intervals by alternating masks, cherubs and seated lions. Dining Parlour has painted wood Georgian-style chimneypiece and enriched panel mouldings to walls. Panel above fireplace has cartouche to top framing prancing horse. Door between hall and this room is a later insertion, breaking panel moulding at this point. Fine enriched plaster ceiling with Ceres pouring wine for Bacchus in large central oval panel in low relief. Cartouches in each corner with profile heads representing the Seasons with appropriate attributes and signs of the Zodiac. Swags of fruit and flowers to frieze upheld alternately by baskets and urns. Cartouches to middle of each wall in frieze with symbols of the 4 Elements: a dolphin for Water, an eagle for Air, an ox for Earth and the Phoenix for Fire. Large first-floor room above hall rises into attic storey and has fine aspect with prospect of Wimborne Minster. Painted wood chimneypiece with eaved surround, flanked by consoles, convex frieze decorated with acanthus leaves and tablet with swag of fruit and flowers. Enriched rococo plaster ceiling and bracketed cornice. Brick vaulted basement. The builder Ralph Willett was a prominent book collector. His celebrated library was first housed in the Saloon, then in one of the demolished wings added c1772. Original marble chimneypiece to principal rooms were probably sold at same time as Rysbrack statue in 1878. Present marble chimneypieces are replacements and probably late C18. That to Dining Parlour is almost certainly C20. The ground around the house has been raised to partly conceal the basement, probably at the same time as the front door was altered, possibly by John Nash (qv stable block). Ground floor now houses a model museum; upper floors have been converted into flats with exception of large room over hall. (RCHME: County of Dorset (South East): London: 1970-: 208-209; Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Newman J: Dorset: London: 1972-: 129-130; English Life Publications Ltd, Derby: Merley House and Model Museum (Guide Book): Derby: 1990-). Listing NGR: SZ0086498321

Record last edited

Mar 3 2022 3:52PM