Underhill

Underhill is a substantial house built in the 1860s. It has two storeys and an attic, featuring three parallel ridges with slated roofs and decorative ridge tiles, with gable ends facing the road and stepping back from north to south. The exterior is made of snecked sandstone rubble with white brick quoins and dressings. It has sash windows of varying sizes, a central canted bay, and another bay on the right return. There is a conservatory at the southeast corner.

The entrance lobby on the north return includes engraved glass with the monogram of Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, FRS, who lived at Underhill from 1869 to 1883. Notably, important experiments related to dry plate photography and the development of filaments for the first practical incandescent electric lamp were conducted in the conservatory. This gives the house significant historical importance.

Underhill is relatively unspoilt, retaining its staircase, most of the interior woodwork, fireplaces, and the original bathroom, which still has the bath. It was the first house in England to be wired for domestic electric lighting, and some of the early fittings remain.