School Of Oriental Studies (Elvet Hill)

The School of Oriental Studies, located on Elvet Hill, is a villa built around 1820 by Ignatius Bonomi for his own use, which has since been raised and altered in the late 19th century. The building features coursed squared sandstone with an ashlar plinth, quoins, and dressings, topped with a Lakeland slate roof that has stone copings and stacks.

Architecturally, it is designed in the Gothic style with an irregular plan and stands two storeys tall. The three left bays are topped by a wide and a narrow gable with attics, while the two right bays are set back. In the third bay, there is a porch with a renewed door in a Tudor-arched entrance, and an inserted window in a similar arch on the right return. A battle-mented two-storey canted bay is located at the extreme left. The windows vary in size from one to six lights, featuring stone mullions, many with Tudor-arched or cusped heads, and most have hoodmoulds. A sundial dated 1913 is situated above the door, and a carved coat of arms is found on the porch's right return. The high-pitched roofs are adorned with fleur-de-lys gable finals, and there is an inserted dormer on the right.

The irregular left return has a projecting stack with three octagonal shafts in the right bay. Inside, the building retains much of its original decoration, including a panelled hall with a stone chimney-piece, a panelled library ceiling with Tudor-flower bosses, and a moulded cornice in this and other rooms. The door and window woodwork are well-preserved.