House. 1572 for William Newton, Steward to the Earl of Dorset.
Dressed Caen stone, removed from the Priory, with coped parapets to roof of Horsham slabs on lower slabs and plain tiles on upper slopes. Various irregular red brick stacks and a pair of C19 gabled dormers with decorative bargeboards. U-plan with wing to rear at left. West front: 2 storeys and attics. Projecting wings to left and right with central recess, filled on ground floor. Fenestration slightly irregular of 2 - 3 - 1 rhythm. Ovolo-moulded cross-windows on ground-floor of wings, with 2-light mullioned windows above, all with hood-mouldings. Small 2-light window with chamfered mullion in garret with hoodmould to right. 2-light window in garret to left, similar to first-floor windows but smaller. 2-light ovolo-moulded mullioned windows in central recess, flanking central window of 3 lights with shield over central light and reveal and hood- mould, continuous over all 3 first floor windows in recess, stepped over. Small central triangular gablet with finial on parapet. 6-light C19 transom and mullions windows with rounded tracery to upper lights flanking rounded Tudor-arched entrance with boarded and ribbed door, moulded surround, florally- decorated spandrela and uncarved shield with light attached over. Continuous hoodmould over all three openings. All windows with leaded casements in iron frames. Small pedimented aedicule on first floor of re-entrant angle of left wing containing shield of lion rampant.
North front: Stack on ridge to left of brick with arched panelled sides, over sailing cornice and with C19 bell in gabled wooden bell-cote. Main features of projecting wing to left of centre and two tall stone chimney-breasts to right. Two gabled semi-dormers flanking lefthand stack, both with gable-parapets and kneelers. Two ovolo- moulded cross windows flanking stack with hoodmould continued around stack and over single-light window in stack. Projecting wing with regular fenestration of 5-light ovolo-moulded windows on ground and first floors and 2-light window in garret and two windows flanking at half-levels between ground and first floors and first and second floors, those above of 2 lights those below single. All windows cast-iron casements with leaded lights and hoodmoulds. East front L-plan with projecting canted staircase wing and further gabled wing in re-entrant angle. 2 storeys with attics to right. Irregular fenestration.
Interior: Hall - panelled ceiling with moulded beams on shield corbels. Marble fire-surround with Neo-Jacobean overmantel. Dining room - fire surround with stone-moulded Tudor arch, inscribed 'WN 1572' in spandrels and overmantel marked 'Ye Old/Welsh/Parliament/House/Dolgelly'.
Staircase - C19 Neo-Jacobean staircase with twisted baluster and early C18 hanging lantern with foliage decoration.
John Evelyn, the diarist, lived in Southover Grange as a boy during the early seventeenth century. It was later used as the original of Mockbeggar's Hall in Ovingdean Grange by William Harrison Ainsworth, (1805-82).