The Elms Health Centre

TL 4816 1487 3/28

BELL STREET (south side) No 4 (The Elms health centre)

6.6.52

GV II Early C18. Large L-shaped house of two storeys, cellars and attics, timber-framed and plastered. High brick wall extending to east. C19, two storey weatherboarded and slate roofed extensions to rear. Old red tile roofs, hipped and with bellcast to eaves. Red brick chimneys rising through ridge.

North front has two hipped dormers, wood modillioned eaves cornice, panelled pargetting and symmetrical four window front A-B-B-A with a central pargetting motif of a circle within a quatrefoil over the door. The inner first floor windows have flush box sashes with architraves and 6/6 panes of crown glass in thick glazing bars ovolo moulded internally. Outer windows on first floor have wider flush box sashes with 8/8 panes, possibly later in date. Same pattern of windows on ground floor but sashes renewed. Wood doorcase up steps. Fluted Ionic pilasters rise from moulded bases and support a full entablature with swelled frieze and triangular pediment. Sun firemark no. 169528 in tympanum.

East front to garden has modillioned cornice, flush box sashes 8/8 with architraves at first floor flanking central triple window 4/4:8/8:4/4. French doors central to ground floor flanked by 8/12 sashes.

Wide entrance hall flanked by two rooms. First floor right hand room has simple dentilled cornice and shouldered wooden fire surround with scrolls supporting entablature as shelf. Original stair with heavy balusters leading to attics which have chamfered plank doors with old iron hinges.

Attached single storey slate roofed outbuildings extend to south and support small C18 wrought iron garden gate with horizontal panel of scrollwork.

The name dates only from 1888 and the house was bought by the local authority in 1964 (EHDC Deeds). The north front is illustrated by Nathaniel Lloyd as an example of pargetting in his A History of the English House (1931) p279.

Listing NGR: TL4816614871