Exterior
Large country house in Venetian-inspired Gothic style, soft-red brick with diaper-work, extensive pale stone dressings with foliated capitals to windows, slate roofs; tall shaped brick chimneys form picturesque sky-line. Generally 2 storeys plus attics with timber dormers with arch-braced gables and moulded fronts.
Main block of house faces garden (SE) with well-composed grouping of tower and octagonal billiard room to R (east); lower service quarters and courtyard to L, conservatories in front of service quarters.
Entrance front tower (to R) has steep slate spire (lantern removed) steep gables with clock faces, polygonal buttresses, polygonal stair turret to rear, paired open arches to top stage, 2 small windows below, 2 larger windows below these; entrance doorway has 3 orders of polished granite and stone shafts with floral capitals, tympanum with monogram of Sandbach family and date '1864'; double-leaf panelled doors. To L of tower, gabled block with arched attic window, splayed stone oriel on pillar which divides two 2-light windows with plate tracery; to L of these, broad Gothic window of 3 lights with oculi above. At L end, forming angle with S front, octagonal billiard room modelled after medieval kitchens, lantern, square buttresses with floral capitals and crockets, paired arches to each side, diapering, inscription below parapet. Garden front has cross-gable to each end, each with 2-light Gothic attic window; L gable has splayed stone oriel window, and on ground floor, group of three 2-light windows with plate tracery. L return of block has large chimney with diapering, and 3 dormers. Right gable has 2-storey splayed stone bay with Gothic parapet. Between main gables, 3 windows, central ground floor window has cusped arches; doorway to each side. At L end, lower range with large gable with 2-light Gothic window and 3 stone gabled dormers; L return has (to courtyard) window consisting of polychromic Gothic arch enclosing oculus, over 4-light mullion-and-transom window. To L of garden front, impressive conservatory range; main section has barrel-vaulted roof (modern covering) and gables to L flank; to L, set back, 4 gables with cusped Gothic lights with stained glass. Modern classroom block to L. North (rear) elevation of main block has, to R of tower, 7-window front with central advanced 3-storey gabled block with attic Gothic window, Gothic stair window with three 2-light windows with plate tracery, 2 small windows below; to each side 3 dormers, windows to L have stone shafts and capitals, mullion-and-transom windows to R. At R end, 3-storey square tower with pyramidal slate roof. Continues to R as service quarters, single-storey plus attics with catslide dormers, generally cast-iron casement glazing with diamond patterns. Similar treatment to courtyard elevations.