Listed Building record MDR2761 - Ednaston Manor, Off Derby Road, Brailsford

Ednaston Manor, off Derby Road, Brailsford, built c1912. 'Ednaston Manor, Brailsford, is an outstanding Neo-Georgian house built in 1912-14. It is an H-shaped, Queen Anne style brick building of two storeys.' (1) 'Ednaston Manor is a Grade I listed building. This small country house was built in Queen Anne style by Edwin Lutyens in 1912-19 for W G Player. It is constructed of reddish brown Bedfordshire brick laid in Flemish bond, with sandstone dressings and has steeply pitched, plain tile, hipped roofs with a massive central brick stack and four massive brick ridge stacks. The house has two storeys and attics, and single storey angle pavilions. Ednaston Manor was described by Lutyens biographer, A G S Butler, as "perhaps the most perfect country house that Lutyens designed".' (2) 'The house and small estate passed, on W G Players death, to Stephen Dane Player, his fourth son who died in 1979 when the house and 70 acres was sold to Lionel V Pickering a local pioneer of unsolicited newspapers. The remaining land is still in the hands of James Player.' (3) A building survey and historical analysis of Ednaston Manor was carried out in 2007 as part of proposals to replace the present, modern billiard room extension with an extended north-west wing. Ednaston Manor was built at a time when Lutyens had a keen interest in achieving symmetry in his more grand designs, but it appears that his commission at Ednaston ended before the project was completed. The plan for the house shows almost perfect symmetry on two axes but the north-west corner of the house seems to have remained unbuilt. Following the recollection by a surviving relative of the original client, William Player, that there had once been abortive foundations work, the lawn was lifted and excavation revealed fairly extensive brick footings. These were interpreted as the remains of a building, possibly a billiard room, that was never completed and which was undertaken at a slightly later date under the supervision of an architect other than Sir Edwin Lutyens. (4) The manor of Ednaston belonged, after the Norman conquests, to the Ferrers family. At the Dissolution the manor went to Sir John Gifford who conveyed it in 1542 to Francis Shirley. (5) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 24 SW PARISH OF BRAILSFORD DERBY ROAD 5/20 (North Side) 13.9.67 Ednaston Manor and attached walls and terracing I Small country house. 1912-19 for W G Player, by Edwin Lutyens. Queen Anne style. Reddish brown Bedfordshire brick laid in Flemish bond, with sandstone dressings.. Steeply pitched, plain tile, hipped roofs with massive central brick stack and four massive brick ridge stacks. Two storeys and attics, and single storey angle pavilions. H-plan with broad centre stroke running west to east. All facades are symmetrical with white painted wooden casement windows under flat arches, the casements with small panes and thick glazing bars. West elevation of five unequal bays, divided by giant pilasters with slightly projecting entasis and capitals, with wreath motifs. The centre two crowned by a triangular pediment. White painted coved eaves cornice. Central doorway with lugged architrave and heavy swan neck pediment, enclosing the Player armorial trophy. Glazed double doors. Two windows either side with brick voussoirs and key blocks to the outer windows. The inner windows narrower. Similar fenestration above. Blind end bays set back, with a corresponding break in the roof. Two small hipped roof dormers close to the middle. Stone plinth and stone band, linking the ground floor windows and continuing as the plinth and coping to the forecourt walls, which form a semi-circular courtyard with two drive entrances and a central entrance, providing a view to and from the main entrance. Single storey pavilions, visually separate, at the angles. That to the south is a garden house, linked by a wall with gateway with lugged architrave. That to the north is a billiard room built-in 1980, an intended part of Lutyen's design. South elevation of eight bays, the outer four projecting. Stone plinth,band, and coved eaves cornice continue from the west elevation. Central doorway with Doric pilasters and an open pediment containing a wreath of saffron flowers. French doors, flanked bv tall narrow windows under flat arches with brick voussoirs. French doors on either side with lugged architraves. Four windows above. The outer bays of the recessed central section deliniated by giant pilasters with capitals in the form of relief monograms of members of the Player family. Return walls with pilasters either side of French doors with lugged architraves and asped alcoves above with aprons. Projecting outer bays have two large windows to ground floor and two smaller windows above, flanked by giant pilasters. Garden pavilions to south west and south east, with hipped roofs and Tuscan Doric columns, linked by walls and gateways and enclosing a raised terrace with formal flower beds and herringbone brick paths. Plainer east elevation of five bays, 1-3-1. Plinth, band and coved cornice continued from south elevation. Two hipped roof dormers between chimney stacks, as on the west elevation. Three tier terrace with brick retaining walls and stone flagged steps descended to lower garden level. North elevation of nine bays, 2-5-2, with more vernacular appearance for the service end of the house. Centre recessed bays with twin gables and dormers on either side. Single storey service wing to north east, linked by a covered way to a building containing potting shed and outhouses. The main entrance leads into a small circular inner porch, a modest entrance hall with black and white marble floor, and then diagonally into the long main hall, forming the whole of the south side of the centre stroke of the H-plan. Symmetrical, low, delicate plaster ceiling, panelling, and broad Italian marble chimney piece with bolection moulding. Small panelled drawing room to the south west, fireplace with lugged surround. Dining room to the south east, also panelled and with a marble chimney piece. Main staircase hall to north west with a view back through a series of arches to the entrance hall. Hopton stone staircase with wrought iron balustrade. Service rooms to north east. Dog leg back staircase with open string and three turned balusters per tread. Partly lit by semi-circular borrowed lights with open traceried fanlights. First floor has inter- connecting bedrooms with brick fireplaces and built-in cupboards on west, south and east sides, and bathrooms on the north side. Linked by a C-plan corridor with arches and plaster cross vaults. Second floor rooms lit by dormers and from two internal courts. All guttering and waste pipes hidden within the walls. Ednaston Manor was described by Lutyen's biographer, A G S Butler, as "perhaps the most perfect country house that Lutyens designed". Listing NGR: SK2384642276.' (7)