Building record 15295 - Mount Pleasant, Well Bank Lane, Over Peover

<1> Kathryn Sather & Associates, 2020, Mount Pleasant and Well Bank House: Significance Assessment, R4516 (Client Report). SCH9052.

A statement of significance was produced for Mount Pleasant in 2020 prior to proposed development. The following information is taken from the study.

The first evidence of settlement on the site is the 1841 Tithe map. Mount Pleasant is identified as Plot 189, a house and garden owned by James Slater, a local farmer, and occupied by William Deakin, an agricultural labourer. The plot itself includes the long thin drive running south from Well Bank Lane and a relatively small rectangle of land to the southeast of the drive with a single, irregularly shaped building. To the north-east is Barn Field, Plot 186, meadow also owned and occupied by James Slater and to the south-east is Plot 188 a Pit field, pasture owned by James Slater and occupied by William Deakin. To the west of 188 is Plot 190, a narrow strip described as a plantation, owned and occupied by James Slater. The 1st edition OS map of 1876 shows Mount Pleasant with a building in the same position and a similar footprint, with three additional small ancillary buildings; one to the southeast and two on the boundary with the adjacent property to the south-west of the house. By 1898 there is no change to the outline of the house to the east, except for it being labelled Mount Pleasant; only one ancillary building is shown with a different orientation to 1876. By 1909 the main house has the same outline but appears to be subdivided into three.

The house is of Cheshire brick in different tones. The roof is slate, with angled ridge tiles. There are timber decorative bargeboards; these match the bargeboards of the dormers, which are each finished with a small timber finial. The windows are a mixture of timber and UPVC. The front door is a timber panelled door beneath a small pediment with a slate roof, set between pilasters. To the south is a conservatory of timber and glass. The two-storey double garage is of brick, with two up-and-over timber doors, and a slate roof.

Externally the house comprises a taller two-storey two-bay building with gable roof and a single storey extension under a hipped roof to the west and a four-bay two-storey range at slightly lower height to the east. A single storey extension under a hipped roof forms a visual link between the two sections, in the angle between them on the north elevation. To the south is a large rectangular single storey extension with the conservatory. The eastern 4-bay range has a hipped roof, featuring four dormer windows to the north. Internally the ground floor space of the taller western section of the building fully integrates the single storey extensions. The eastern end of the adjacent range has a large single space linking to a L-shaped corridor connecting to the western end and small rooms off to the north and a large room to the south. There are two chimneys, at the east end of the long range and the east end of the tall section. To the north-east at a right-angle to the house is the two-storey two-bay garage which is rectangular in plan, with a shorter single bay containing the staircase access to the upper floor. This dates from between 1991-2000.

The drive from Well Bank Lane opens on to an extensive area of paved hard-standing and a view of the north elevation. The western end has two small-paned modern casement windows with opening upper vents at first floor and similar windows at ground floor in the single-storey extensions and to the east of the mock-Georgian panelled door set between square pilasters beneath a pediment. To the east the long range which is slightly set back is characterised by four dormer windows with decorative bargeboards and finials. At ground floor there is a door just east of the link extension and a series of casement windows of different sizes, all with small panes including opening upper vents. The eastern end of the building is screened by the garage.

The south elevation is dominated by the single storey extension with its parapet wall concealing the lantern roof of the conservatory with two large full-length small paned windows either side of French windows. The partly conceals the south elevation which in turn comprises an L-shaped rear to the western section of the house and a single-storey extension under a lean-to roof in the angle. The fenestration of the south elevation is all in the same style of small pane casement windows, some with three lights, some two.

The west elevation is irregular with single storey extensions with hipped and lean-to roofs and the side of the conservatory. However, the brickwork of the main gable wall suggests that this wall has been altered: the colour of the brick on the upper south side is different and there is a rough line in the different colour, possibly indicating a lower gable apex, closer to the north elevation. Similarly, above the westernmost first floor window on the south elevation the brickwork is slightly lighter in hue, suggesting that the wall has been raised in height.

The interior of the building features a large open plan kitchen at the east end of the ground floor, with all windows UPVC. Despite the fact that it has timber beams, as does the ground floor of the rest of the eastern section, on close inspection these are pastiche, using old timbers, and not tied in structurally. The hearth with wood burner is of modern construction. West of this an L-shaped corridor leads to both to a door on the south elevation and towards the western section of the house; to the north side of the corridor is a toilet and a utility room and to the south a dining room with an open hearth and a pastiche timber plank door. The Conservatory is entered both from the dining room and from the lounge to the west. The timber construction, lantern and the window furniture show that it is of modern construction. Although the lounge has a decorative cornice, it is modern plasterwork, as are the decorative architraves; the corners are sharp with no layers of paintwork. However, the relatively low ceiling height suggests that part of this section of the house may have dated from an earlier period. The entrance hall in the northwest corner is badly damaged through water ingress and dry rot. It is characterised by the open plan layout and complete lack of any original features. The modern timber floor is buckling and the staircase to the first floor is modern, although a moulded timber above it may have been part of the earlier structure. The first floor has no original features. Mount Pleasant may incorporate a small section of the former house in its western section but is largely of recent construction in a pastiche style. The review of historic maps shows that the earlier west elevation had two projecting bays with an indentation between.