Breakspear College

Breakspear College is a large house, dating from approximately 1770, built on the site of an earlier structure. It was significantly altered and stuccoed around 1830, with further alterations and extensions in the 20th century. The building is constructed of rendered brick with slate roofs. It is arranged as a double depth plan with a central three-bay block flanked by two-bay wings, creating a facade of 3:5:3 bays. A flight of steps leads to the central entrance, featuring a part-glazed door topped with a rectangular fanlight, and surrounded by Roman Doric pilasters supporting a pedimented doorcase. Eight-pane sashes are positioned on either side of the entrance. The outer bays have larger glazing bar sashes set within reveals and architraves on the ground floor. The upper storeys are roughcast with rendered plat bands, and the first floor sashes are recessed with segmental headed architraves, while the smaller second floor sashes have simpler architraves. Boxed eaves are present, along with end and one ridge stack to the right of the centre. The three-bay links connecting the wings have slightly recessed inner bays, featuring glazing bar sashes, with one window on the ground floor of each wing blocked in. Cornices are visible at the parapets. The wings have hipped roofs. A two-bay left return features an extensive bow window on the ground floor with three tripartite sashes, and a balustraded balcony to the first floor. The garden front is similar in style to the main facade. The building was formerly known as Langley House and the current name commemorates Nicholas Breakspear, who became Pope Adrian IV in 1154. To the right of the main wing is an early 20th-century summerhouse with a plasterwork ceiling, accessed via a recess framed by two pseudo-Doric columns in antis. This wing also features a tripartite sash with framing half columns and a pseudo-Doric entablature, along with three first-floor sashes. Further left, beyond the three-bay wing, are two additional bays, lower in height and with sashes set in reveals. A projecting block is visible to the left of the main entrance front, showcasing altered openings and a hipped roof front. The interior has not been inspected. Further 20th-century additions on the far right are considered to be of no special interest.