Clarendon House

Clarendon House, now offices, was built between 1853 and 1857 for William Braithwaite, a surgeon. The building is constructed of brick in a Flemish bond with contrasting brick headers, featuring stone detailing and a slate roof. It is comprised of a two-story, three-by-three bay main section, with a projecting central entrance bay and a three-bay, single-story range to the right. Quoins are present.

The central entrance has a four-panel door with a fanlight, all within a pilastered surround. Above the entrance is a three-light semicircular oriel window. Four-pane sashes are found throughout, all set within architraves; the ground floor sashes have an entablature and cornice. A deep modillion eaves cornice runs throughout the building. Tall, ornate brick stacks flank the central bay, with three further stacks located at the rear.

The single-story range has a central doorway that has since been converted into a window. The gabled right bay of this range projects forward, incorporating a window set within a recessed panel with brick dentils. The left return of the house mirrors the front facade in its fenestration. The right return displays a raised ground floor due to the slope of the land, with four unequal bays separated by brick pilasters. An ornate blocked doorway with a stone round arch and segmental pediment is located far right. Two four-pane sashes are set in segmental brick arches in the centre of the return. A slightly projecting flue from an ornate eaves stack is visible towards the left.

The interior of the building has not been inspected. The building’s group value is as a well-preserved example of Victorian domestic architecture.