The Octagon

The Octagon is a house that was formerly the harbour master's office, built in the early to mid 18th century, possibly by Vanbrugh. It features a rubble construction with cut quoins and dressings, topped by a 20th-century pantile roof with a brick stack. The building has an octagonal plan with a slightly later wing on the west side.

The north elevation has one storey above a basement; the octagonal section on the left has a band above the basement. There are nine steps leading up to a four-panel door beneath a radial fanlight set in a round arch, which has raised imposts and a keystone. To the right of the door, there are similarly-arched windows above square-headed basement openings, found in the left return and at the rear. A moulded string runs below an embattled parapet, and the roof is flat.

The wing to the right consists of one wide bay, featuring a Venetian window in a similar surround above a square-headed basement window, with a coped right gable and an end stack. The right return shows a blocked doorway with a timber lintel. All the windows have been replaced with small-paned casements, and those on the first floor have radial heads.

The 20th-century pent extensions at the rear of the wing are not of special interest.