Who lived in a House like this?

[SusieK]

This looks to me more like the back of the house, with a large patio/seating area and the walls around it, and the steps down to the garden. For such a big house it doesn't look very ornate either.

Sue

[Treetotal]

I agree Sue that it is the rear of the property which is usually less ornate.
Carol

[Ruskie]

This looks to me more like the back of the house, with a large patio/seating area and the walls around it, and the steps down to the garden. For such a big house it doesn't look very ornate either.

Sue

That crossed my mind as well, but I think there is a driveway heading towards the entry .... Landscapes can appear foreshortened in photos, so there may be a bigger distance between the wall and the front of the house than there appears to be, allowing room for cars/carriages or whatever.   

[SusieK]

Yes I wondered if that was a driveway but decided it looked more like a large path leading down the garden. But I may change my mind again tomorrow 

I've only just noticed that there is a bay window on the left hand side of the house - which was another reason I thought it might be the back, as the front is more likely to have bay windows matching either side isn't it?

Also the guttering spread across the wall for some reason makes me think of the back of the house.

[Ruskie]

Yes I wondered if that was a driveway but decided it looked more like a large path leading down the garden. But I may change my mind again tomorrow 

I've only just noticed that there is a bay window on the left hand side of the house - which was another reason I thought it might be the back, as the front is more likely to have bay windows matching either side isn't it?

Also the guttering spread across the wall for some reason makes me think of the back of the house.

Good points about the guttering.  Unsure about symmetrical bay windows - it may depend on the era of the building, or any additions. 

[loobylooayr]

Hi ,

I had wondered about this being the back of the house too. But couldn't think why there would be a postcard of the rear of a mansion/manor house.
The drive leading to the building could be for tradesmen if there was a rear entrance to the property.

It's rather a bleak looking house 

Looby

[Treetotal]

Thanks for your thought, Ruskie, Sue and Looby. I doubt this one will be found. I have searched for similar country houses in and around Hereford and come up empty. If only the lady at the window could talk 
Carol

[arthurk]

I think this is the front of the house, not the back. The drive comes across the grounds, rather than round the end of the house, and I doubt the back of a house would have an ornamental fence like that.

I appreciate that some of the house looks rather plain, but if you look closely, you'll see that the window tracery at the left hand end is different from that at the plainer right hand end, which indicates that it wasn't all built at the same time. The line of the windows also indicates that the rooms will have progressively higher ceilings going from right to left.

I suspect that the oldest part of the house is to the right, then it's been gradually extended towards the left, possibly in 4 or more stages. Finally, as the owner got richer or wanted to make more of a statement, the left hand end was built with its bay windows.

[Treetotal]

Thanks for looking Arthur and for your interesting observations...I see what you mean about the front access as there appears to be a gravel path leading to the structure that looks like a folly. However, I am mystified by the steps to the left of the photo which would make the rear of the property higher than the front. Having made numerous searches in and around Hereford I have reached the conclusion that it has either been demolished or has changed dramatically over time.
Carol