Centenary House

Centenary House is a public dispensary, now a health centre, built in 1904. It was designed by F Bedford and S Kitson. The building is constructed with rusticated ashlar on the ground floor, and brick with stone details above, all topped by a slate roof. Situated on a corner site, it has a main front of five storeys and three bays with a window arrangement of 3, 1, and 3. A bowed bay extends from the right return, a curved bay from the left return, and the range facing Hartley Hill continues for three bays of three windows each, plus a single-storey addition above a basement. Stepping up to the left, there are two storeys, three bays with a window arrangement of 1, 3, and 3, and a separate entrance bay on the left.

The main facade features recessed double doors beneath a round-arched rusticated archway with a fanlight. Putti support an oriel window above, and rusticated pilasters rise to a modillion eaves cornice. A fourth-floor ashlar window with three lights is set within a dormer, with a segmental pediment flanked by pilasters bearing carved plaques. Sash windows are fitted, with keyed architraves to the ground floor, Gibbs surrounds to the second floor, and square windows in architraves to the third floor. A balustraded parapet runs along the top.

The right return features a bowed front with three sash windows on each floor, and attached columns following Classical Orders. The left return includes a curved bay with similar detailing to the right return, and a bay to the left matching the front facade. The rusticated ground floor continues as a basement storey as the ground rises. A large keystone highlights the doorway to the right, and windows have keyed architraves. An ornate doorway is located far to the left, featuring rusticated pilasters, a stone plaque carved with ‘OUTPATIENTS/ ENTRANCE’, a scrolled pediment broken by a niche containing a statue of a draped female figure holding a large book. The left three bays show rustication repeated on the first-floor window architraves. A balustraded parapet covers the entire building. The interior was not inspected during the listing process.