3 and Attached Railings

This is a house, later used as an office, dating from around 1830 and slightly altered since. It is constructed of red brick in a Flemish bond pattern, with sandstone dressings, a slate roof, and stone chimneys. The building follows a double-depth, double-fronted plan with a bowed projection to the rear. It has two storeys over a basement, with three symmetrical bays, the central bay projecting slightly. The basement is faced with ashlar and treated as a plinth, with a sill band to the first floor, a plain frieze, and a moulded cornice with a blocking course. A stone porch with Ionic columns and pilasters, and a moulded cornice, shelters a wide elliptical-arched doorway with a pilastered tripartite wooden doorcase; the side windows and fanlight have altered glazing. Sashed windows without glazing bars are set within raised sills and wedge lintels. The roof is hipped and low-pitched, with eight tall, corniced stone chimneys. The basement areas are protected by heavily ornamented cast-iron railings featuring rosette and anthemion panels, foliated bands, and tall finials with rings for former chains, which terminate against flanking screen walls with curved corners and gates. A sashed window with margin panes is found on the left return wall at the first floor; a tall stair window is on the right return wall. The rear elevation, three storeys high with a basement at ground level, features a full-height semicircular bow, which has a round-headed garden door under a fanlight with radiating tracery, as well as curved sashed windows on all floors (nine-paned at basement level, without glazing bars above). A first-floor sill band extends around the bow. A narrow two-storey extension with a canted oriel is located at the west end. Inside, the entrance hall is elaborately decorated, including a screen with fluted Corinthian columns, and richly decorated moulded plaster cornices. The staircase has fine curvilinear cast-iron balusters and a wreathed mahogany handrail. The house was occupied around 1840 by John Horrocks, a partner in Horrocks, Jacson & Co, cotton spinners and manufacturers.