Bifrons Place was built in 1607-11 for John Bargrave. The unusual name of the house is said to mean ‘two fronts’. While it could be argued that most country houses have at least two fronts, here it was perhaps coined because the two fronts were so different (found on the entrance side and on the garden side).

The front entrance that is shown here was more formally composed, with a five-bay centre flanked by a pair of ogee-capped towers and long projecting wings beyond them. The right hand wing contained the family accommodation while the service accommodation was on the left hand side. As shown here, the five bay centre had an elaborate stone doorcase and the centre and the ends of the wings had elaborately shaped gables. It is clear that even if Bifrons was smaller than the great contemporary courtyard prodigy houses of its day, it was generously conceived and expensively finished.

The Jacobean house was completely rebuilt beyond recognition in 1770 as a rather plain neo-classical two storey building