Beechley

Villa, now unoccupied but recently used as an old people's home, built 1835-6 for John Marriott, a cotton broker. The building was enlarged at an early date, with further additions in the early 20th century, and has since been altered.

The house is constructed of painted scored stucco, probably over sandstone, with sandstone dressings and a hipped slate roof with rendered chimneys. It has an irregular plan formed by a rectangular main block enclosing a central atrium, with a rear service wing, an early extension to the left side, and later additions of yellow brick to the rear of this extension, probably replacing the original service wing. The building is in the Classical style, comprising two storeys over cellars.

The front elevation of the original block, which is almost symmetrical with a pedimented centre breaking forwards, is arranged as 3:1:1:1 windows (the three-window portion being the extension). The original block has a plinth, channelled corner pilasters, a first-floor sillband, a plain frieze and oversailing boarded eaves, features copied by the left-hand extension. The pedimented centre breaks forwards and contains a projected porch at ground floor with Ionic columns arranged distyle in antis and a plain entablature with moulded cornice. A concrete ramp replaces the former steps leading to a wide doorway with glazed and panelled double doors, a rectangular overlight and narrow side windows. Above the porch, the first floor has stepped corners and a sashed window with a built-in retractable sunblind. Left of the porch at ground floor is a tripartite sashed window and a small inserted window to its left. The remaining windows of the original block and its extension are four-pane sashes; those of the original block are unhorned, with moulded architraves rising from the plinth at ground floor, and with raised sills and plain reveals at first floor. The centre window of the extension's first floor has been painted over. Two ridge chimneys flank the pedimented centre, with one at the junction and another at the left end, and additional chimneys serve the rear ranges.

The right-hand return wall, facing the garden, is almost symmetrical with 1:3:1 windows and features a projected three-window segmental bow in the centre which breaks the eaves. This bow has a first-floor band, sunk panels over the first-floor windows, a plain frieze and oversailing eaves. At ground floor, there are three tall French windows (the centre with an inserted 20th-century door, the others with double casements from which some glazing bars appear to have been removed). At first floor are three square windows, the centre blind and the others sashed without glazing bars. The flanking bays on both floors have tripartite windows; those at ground floor have pilastered and corniced architraves, the left with 20th-century French windows and the right with only an eight-pane sash in its centre. The right-hand bay's first-floor window has been altered to provide access to an attached fire-escape.

The rear elevation has six windows at first-floor level, the leftmost blind and the others four-pane sashes. At ground floor, three tall unhorned sashes occupy the left half, with additions covering the right-hand half.

The interior features a large rectangular atrium containing a cantilevered stone staircase rising up the left and rear walls to a cantilevered landing on the right-hand wall. The staircase has slender cast-iron balusters and a mahogany handrail wreathed at the foot. A three-sided pilastered first-floor gallery overlooks the atrium, and the ceiling is coved, panelled with a central skylight. Mahogany doors throughout have moulded architraves. The parlour, drawing room and dining room on the right-hand side feature moulded plaster cornices with acanthus, waterleaf and other ornament. Despite some alterations, the house remains a good example of its type and date.

The building forms a group with an associated entrance gateway, ha-ha, and Beechley Stables.