Numbers 53 And 55 And Attached Railings

Numbers 53 and 55 are two houses that were originally built around 1765 and later divided into two around 1770-1771. They are now used as school offices. The buildings are likely designed by John Carr and constructed from brick with painted stone or stucco details, topped with a slate roof.

The main facade is symmetrical, featuring three storeys, cellars, attics, and five bays. Above the ground floor, there is a painted storey band, and the timber cornice gutter is decorated with modillions and dentils. The first-floor windows, which are set above rubbed brick flat arches, have painted cornices but lack architraves or friezes. Most windows are sashed, with the second-floor windows including glazing bars. The central first-floor window is also sashed with glazing bars but is blind. A small flat-roofed dormer lights the attic.

The two central entrance doors each have six raised and fielded panels, pilaster reveals, and plain rectangular overlights. They share a Greek Doric porch that has a dentilled cornice and three partly-fluted columns. Gable chimneys are present, and on the left side, there is a projecting early 19th-century addition of two bays with glazing bar sashes and a door leading to a passageway next to a single ground-floor window. A change in brickwork indicates that the upper storey of this addition may have been added later. The roof is concealed by a parapet with coping.

The interior has not been inspected, but records indicate that No. 55 has an original staircase with turned balusters, moulded cornices, and a single original fireplace. The basement area in front of the main building is enclosed by iron railings on low stone copings.