Grotto in the garden of 101 Bristol Road

The Grotto in the garden of 101 Bristol Road is a Gothick structure, likely built for James Guest, a merchant, in the early 19th century.

Constructed from red brick and faced with blast-furnace slag, the grotto incorporates shells, animal bones, and teeth impressed into cement. It has a D-shaped plan with a flat front elevation and a semi-circular rear wall.

The front of the grotto features a pediment with two pointed-arch windows on either side of a central ogee-arched door. The surrounds of the windows and door are adorned with shells and animal teeth. Above the shell frieze, the pediment displays a central star-burst motif and three short obelisk pinnacles at each corner. Only the lower part of the rear semi-circular wall remains, with its inner surface showcasing low-level panels framed by sheep or cow vertebrae and decorated with shells. This wall also has slots that suggest there may have been a fitted bench around it. Fragments of a timber door are believed to still exist, but the roof is no longer present.