STURFORD MEAD
A Listed Regency
Country House, built in 1820 and set in seven acres of gardens, lake and
woodland on the edge of the historic Longleat estate in Wiltshire,
England, Sturford Mead is one of the prettiest of the smaller country houses in the county.
Basically a brick-built house faced with Bath stone, it has a great deal in
common with many of the Regency buildings in Bath - not surprisingly,
since John Pinch, its architect, did most of his work there.
The main part of the house is severely symmetrical, in the Greek Revival style;
on the north side is a domestic wing in coursed rubble. The site is gently sloping; extensive
landscaping makes its lowest story seem to be sunk partly below ground, forming extensive cellars as large in floor
area as the original house and lit by windows opening into a passageway running right round
the house.
In the 1880s a west wing was added in a style similar to that of the domestic wing.
This housed a smoking room on the ground floor, and day and night nurseries
on the first floor.
Much of the appeal of the house to us is that the changes there have been over the years
have been of necessity, and not at the behest of a 'restorer'; even the major up-dating of the
services in 1931 was competently done and provides its own sources of interest.