Mercia Lodge

Mercia Lodge is a house, later converted to offices, built around 1867 for G F Barrell by his brother, Edward Barrell of Rochester. The building is constructed of yellow brick, with a shallow hipped roof covered in Welsh slate, featuring overhanging eaves supported by paired brackets. The front facade is arranged with five windows across two storeys, in a 2:1:2 configuration. The central bay projects slightly and is accessed by a flight of eight steps featuring coped side walls and square piers supporting iron vases; the entrance has a half-glazed panel door set within a projecting brick pilaster surround topped with an entablature and flat hood. Single canted bay windows flank the entrance, with moulded ashlar cills. Above the central entrance is a round arched two-light casement window, flanked by pairs of similar windows on either side, with plain pilasters emphasizing each corner. The hipped roof is finished with a cast iron ridge piece incorporating two outer and a taller central finial.