Vicarage To St James'S Church

This is a vicarage built in 1915 by W.E.V. Crompton for St James’s Church. It is constructed of red-brown brick in English bond with tile and stucco dressings, and has pantile roofs. The building is two storeys and attics, with a symmetrical design on both the entrance and garden fronts, and comprises three bays.

The main elevation features a central, slightly projecting, pedimented bay flanked by advanced angle pilasters which extend above the pediment as a blocking course. A tile band defines the first floor. The central doorway is set within a tile round arch, featuring a stucco fan of ribbed panels and a moulded architrave leading to a pair of raised and fielded panelled doors. There are twelve-pane leaded windows on the ground floor, each with a small brick vent. A cast iron railing with a curtail and a finial runs along the front. A sash window on the first floor sits beneath a pediment with a dentil cornice. Blind alcoves on the first floor are topped with radiating tile fans beneath brick arches. A central dormer window has a slightly pointed profile and small-paned casements with an intersecting traceried overlight. Brick stacks are located to the left and right.

The garden front is symmetrical, with canted bay windows in the outer bays, featuring small-paned sashes. A glazed front door is set within a deep fascia. A small-paned sash window is above. A pair of dormers mirrors the design of the front elevation. A foundation stone dated October 30th 1915 bears the name of the architect, WEV Crompton, and the builder, F. Cottrell.

The interior includes a classically detailed drawing room with a painted timber mantelpiece and guilloche ceiling moulding. Doors on the ground floor are of raised and fielded panels with architraves and square sectioned moulding. Upper floor doors are of four panels, and service wing doors are similar. Ovoid wooden or brass doorknobs are present throughout. A rear ground floor room has a stone chimneypiece between pilasters, flanked by alcoves, with a moulded cornice. The staircase has a square sectioned frame, turned balusters, a moulded rail, and a circular stair window. First floor fireplaces vary, some with replaced mantelpieces, tiled slips, iron canopies, and original grates; one is a pointed arched opening with alternating courses of brick and tile.