Tudor ruse
The stunningly authentic ‘Elizabethan’ pile that’s just 100 years old
INSIDE and out, much of the house that cardiologist Simon Winterton grew up in looks as if it dates back at least 500 years – but Greystones was actually built less than a century ago.
The five-bedroom, Grade II listed pile in Chippenham, Wiltshire, dates from 1924 but it pays a nod to architectural styles and design features going back to Tudor times.
Its individuality made it a wonderful house to grow up in, says Simon, 61. ‘ We moved in as a family in July 1964,’ he says. ‘As a child, it was a fantastic place to live because it was fun. It was quirky. It has interesting, strange windows and staircases, and there’s a circuitous route you can take around the house. The attic room, which is now a rather nice bedroom, was the children’s playroom.’
Simon grew up there with his parents and two brothers, but the family is now selling as the large house has become too much for Simon’s widowed mother, 88, and the three brothers are now living in various parts of southern England.
Greystones was built by a collector of historic housing features, which explains why it is stuffed with either relics from bygone eras or replicas of them.
‘We were all impressed by the fact that the date on the back of the fireplace, in what was then the living room, was 1681,’ says Simon. ‘The house wasn’t built then but the fireplace was.’
There is an 18th Century stone pediment over the main door, and the entrance hall – with its the stone flooring, oak beams, Tudor arch fireplace and ornately carved panelling – feels like it belongs to a medieval castle rather than an early 20th Century house.
To add to the historic effect, the drawing room has early 18th Century panelling, while much of the wallpaper was created by the famous 19th Century textile designer William Morris. The property has a service wing featuring a separate servants’ staircase to the first and second floors, a butler’s kitchen and a serving hatch to the adjoining drawing room.
Other features include a sundial on a south-facing chimney breast with an inscription that reads: ‘My times are in thy hands.’
Because Greystones is listed, changes to it are restricted, but the Wintertons have never wanted to alter it greatly. ‘There has been no reason to,’ says Simon.
‘Dad had a new garage built about 30 years ago. There was no problem with getting planning permission outside the house, but Mum and Dad have never looked to make any changes to the overall substance of the house. They did turn one very small room into a bathroom, again about 30 years ago, and I’m sure there’s still potential to do more along those lines.’
Simon reflects on his time in the house: ‘It was a privilege, in a sense, to be able to take my friends to it and, later, when it came to showing it to my wife. And our children have very much enjoyed looking forward to staying in such a magical place.’
He would like to see another family make use of it, but acknowledges that some of its aesthetic charms may be lost on younger people. ‘It’s a nice house to look at, but you only start appreciating that as you get a bit older,’ he says.
It was a privilege to show my friends and my wife this house