Listed Building: NETHERTON NURSING HOME (467858)

WEYMOUTH SY6778NE RODWELL ROAD 873-1/23/252 (West side) 12/12/53 Netherton Nursing Home (Formerly Listed as: RODWELL ROAD No.4 Netherton House) GV II* Large house, now nursing home. C17 and mid C18 (RCHME). Portland ashlar, some rendering, slate roof. PLAN: the parallel range 3-storey hipped block with parapets to front and to Chickerell Road return is ostensibly mid-C18, but encloses earlier work of the C17 which can still be seen within. EXTERIOR: main front is 5-windowed, 9 above 12-paned sashes in flush moulded boxes, with central portico on unfluted Ionic columns to a pulvinated frieze and dentil cornice with closed pediment, over a 6-panel part-glazed door in a moulded architrave. There are rendered gable stacks, and 2 further stacks to the rear wall. The return, left, has a door at first floor approached by a concrete staircase, and two 12-pane sashes at the ground floor. The rear range sets slightly forward, and has a single 4-pane sash at each level, with keystone. A further wall with blank openings to the parapet and sashes below returns to the left. The right return has a construction joint, stepped at half height, and not flush at the parapet level, with two 12-pane sashes at first floor, and 2 blocked windows at ground floor. INTERIOR: the early beams referred to in RCHME are boxed in and no longer visible; most of the detail is of the C18, much of it of high quality, and in good condition; the sub-divisions entailed by current use have been effected with minimum disturbance to detail. The former basement has been filled. On the ground floor the former Library has an elliptical recess with keystones, and dentil cornice, with a dado of fielded panelling. The fireplace has a frieze with swags, a moulded mantelshelf, and eared moulded architrave. The rear right room retains working shutters, which in many rooms are now fixed; a moulded cornice, and fireplace with C19 cast-iron insert and surround of de Morgan tiles. The inner lobby has a wide elliptical arch with panelled intrados and keystone. Ground floor left has a deep boxed beam, and moulded cornice, also lift-up shutters, and a fine rococo fire surround. The generous open-well staircase, formerly lit from the rear wall, has turned newels and slender turned balusters, with a swept handrail, and wall dado panelling. The open string has scrolled treads. On the first-floor landing are two C17 painted panelled doors, and the outer wall has 2 arched but blocked openings, one of these interrupted by the stair. The top landing has a wide elliptical arch on the inner wall, filled with painted C17 panelling, and a dentil cornice. A first-floor front room, referred to as King George's bedroom, has an egg-and-dart cornice, and a stripped pine fire surround with a pair of doves in high relief, and Rococo swags, with a marble interior; another room at this level has an Art Nouveau fire surround with mirror over capped by an open scrolled pediment, and modillion cornice, and a third room has a Rococo fireplace. Formerly known as the Old Manor House, this remains one of the more important survivals in early Weymouth buildings. The care taken in rescuing and refurbishing the property is recognised by the Weymouth Civic Society plaque. (RCHME: Dorset, South-East: London: 1970-: 343; Ricketts E: The Buildings of Old Weymouth: Melcombe Regis and Westham: Weymouth: 1976-: 41). Listing NGR: SY6750978600

Record last edited

Sep 28 2009 10:12AM