A 19th century stately home and popular Isle of Wights events venue could have facilities upgraded as part of a proposed renovation.
Northwood House Charitable Trust has applied for listed building consent to enhance Northwood House’s catering and toilet facilities, currently described as ‘poor’ in a Design and Heritage Statement prepared by LMA Heritage Consulting Ltd.
The house is listed at Grade II* due to its ‘interior architectural interest’, according to public body Historic England.
Grade II* listings denote ‘particularly important buildings of more than special interest’ which make up around 5.8 per cent of all listed buildings.
LMA Heritage Consulting Ltd’s document said:
‘The house has had a colourful history and was a long lasting legacy of The Ward family from the late 18th to early 20th Century.
‘It has been a house of well known luxury and decadence, to a boys school, a party house, nunnery, Red Cross Hospital and Municipality offices.
‘The house, given to the Town of Cowes in 1928, has very high communal significance.
‘As a place of marriages and celebrations, local events and council meetings, its position within the town and the wider area of the Island is an important one and one of the only large country houses on the island that is still so heavily invested in its community.’
Northwood House Charitable Trust’s proposals include converting the house’s hot kitchen into gents toilets, the enlarging of the ladies toilets, new doors from a hallway off the Egypt Corner lobby, new corridor stores, a kitchen renovation and a roof extraction system.
Also included in the charity’s plans are new rainwater drainage systems on an external wall.
In an official list entry for Northwood House, Historic England said:
'The interior contains decorations in the Egyptian or Etruscan mode including a ballroom with ceiling with 24 painted roundels of ancient and Mediaeval playwrights, philosophers, poets and orators.
‘A drawing room decorated with painted swags and birds, a circular dome with Etruscan style painted ceiling, a staircase with two iron balusters to each step and “Egypt Corner”, a lobby having four columns with Lotus capitals supporting an entablature with painted snake emblems, eagles and pseudo-Egyptian hieroglyphs and three door surrounds with similar decorations.’
The council’s public consultation on Northwood House Charitable Trust’s application finishes on November 29 and a statutory decision is expected on December 17.
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