55 And 57, Westgate Road

Nos. 55 and 57 on Westgate Road is a house dating from around 1750, now used as shops and offices. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a slate roof that is graduated over the four left bays. The building has three storeys and attics, featuring a two-three-two bay arrangement. The central door is set within a Jacobean-style doorcase that has a keyed arch beneath a segmental pediment. The three ground-floor bays on the left are accentuated by rusticated pilasters, while there are alterations on the right side. The ground floor has inserted shops, and the upper levels are defined by giant pilasters. The windows have architraves and aprons, with floor bands between the pilasters. The capitals of the pilasters are positioned at window head level, and there is a top entablature with a coved frieze. The roof includes two small segmental-headed dormers with sashes located at the centre and left, and a renewed dormer with a barge-boarded gable on the right.

Inside, the front ground-floor room at No. 57 features rococo plasterwork with a phoenix motif on the wall. The staircase displays strap-work and plain panels, along with portrait profiles in oval medallions. A Venetian window on the half-landing is adorned with a Doric entablature, and above it are putti and garlands. An Italian signature and date from 1796 are scratched on one pane, which is preserved under glass. A shallow, panelled dome is found above, with an eagle in a medallion under the balcony and garlands over the doors. The first floor contains three connecting rooms, arranged in two, five, and two bays, all featuring plaster panels and decorative cornices. The centre room has an elaborate ceiling with a centerpiece of putti holding a cornucopia among clouds, surrounded by portrait medallions. There is a corner fireplace with a decorative panel above it and an alcove with a bucranium motif and garlands. The doorway has a flat pediment and a carved, pulvinated frieze. One side room is decorated with a flower and leaf pattern on the ceiling. The wrought iron staircase and balcony railings are likely contemporary with the plasterwork.