Shortmead House

Shortmead House dates from around 1780 to 1790. It is a two-storey building constructed of gault brick. The front facade has five sash windows, with the central window being three lights and slightly projected. A rectangular stone platform with steps leads to a columned open porch in the style of the Tower of the Winds, sheltering a wide six-panel door flanked by side lights and topped by a large, semi-circular 'Adam' leaded fanlight. A simple cornice and parapet completes the front elevation. The side elevations have three windows, most of which are now blocked. Projecting wings extend from the rear.

Inside, the house retains contemporary decorations. The entry hall runs from front to back, with rooms to the east and west. An original, plain balustered curved staircase is present. The south-east room features a carved white marble mantelpiece with delicate corner panels depicting cherubs and relief wheatear, along with ornamentation to the frieze and jambs. It also contains a contemporary enriched polished steel grate with pierced valance and urns. The north-east room has a similar, simpler mantelpiece ornamented with musical trophies, alongside a contemporary ribbed cast iron grate. The south-west room has a simpler mantelpiece with rosette corner blocks, and an early 19th-century cast iron grate with canted reveals and bowed grate bars. Throughout the rooms, contemporary cornices, shutters, and dadoes remain.