By the Rev. Thomas Miles. 



201 



placed on the piers of the gateway, and the ornaments were of 

 much more recent date than the house. 



Stockton house is rather a plain specimen of the Elizabethan 

 style, the only part ornamented being the entrance porch in the 

 west front. Attached to the north-west angle of the house is a 

 range of buildings, containing some of the servants' offices. There 

 is a tradition in the village that a part of this wing was at one 

 time used as a Chapel, and this may have been the case during the 

 great Rebellion, when some of the ejected Clergy were sheltered 

 at Stockton by the Topps. The exterior of this venerable mansion 

 has suffered little, either from time or the improver, and, excepting 

 the new porch and entrance on the south side, and the lowering of 

 some of the windows, it remains in its original state. Fortunately 

 also the house required little alteration in the interior, to adapt it 

 to modern habits, and the only rooms modernized, are the hall, 

 dining-room, and study. The dining-room is on the left of the 

 hall, and is a large handsome apartment, though unfortunately 

 fitted up in a modern style. This room was originally the great 

 hall. Above the dining-room, and of the same size, with the first 

 floor of the porch added to it, is the drawing-room in its original 

 state, untouched by the rude hand of the improver. It is a fine 

 specimen of internal decoration in the Elizabethan style, and is in 

 perfect preservation, excepting that the ceiling rather sinks. There 

 is a plate of this beautiful room in Sir Richard Hoare's "History 

 of Wilts," and the east side of it is given in Mr. Shaw's interesting 

 work "Details of Elizabethan Architecture." Most of the prin- 

 cipal bedrooms retain their old wainscots, chimney-pieces and 

 ceilings ; but the wainscots have all been painted. The chimney- 

 piece and ceiling in the bedroom over the study, are particularly 

 handsome. In the panel over the fire-place, is a cuiious carving 

 of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, in the fiery furnace. This 

 room (and the drawing-room) have been engraved in Richardson's 

 " Interiors." The large bedroom over the kitchen has a curious ceil- 

 ing ornamented with the arms of Queen Elizabeth and James I. 

 There is nothing remarkable in the servants' offices, but the kitchen is 

 large and retains much of its ancient character. The old furniture 



