The Hollies

The Hollies is a detached villa, built between 1825 and 1826 by the architect George Ledwell Taylor, who initially used the property and occupied it with his family until 1836. An extension to the east and a rear porch were added around 1890. The exterior is cement rendered over brick, with incised lines intended to resemble masonry, and has a slate roof. The original building is two storeys with attics and a basement, and features three windows. A one-storey, one-bay addition in a matching style was built to the east around 1890. The south front of the original structure has a full-width pediment with a projecting wooden cornice, a curved acroterion at the apex, and a lunette with a six-pane sash and curved panel below. The first floor has three six-pane sashes with moulded wooden architraves and feet. The ground floor windows are taller sashes with marginal glazing and curved pediments with brackets. A central porch has a round-headed arch with impost blocks, an open pediment with paired brackets, an original half-glazed door with decorative panels, sidelights, and guilloche moulding to the frieze. Original cast iron security cages are present in the front area. To the west of the original building is a two-storey stock brick coach house. The rear elevation features an open pediment with a similar lunette window, but without the decorative detailing. First-floor six-pane sashes have curved heads. The porch added around 1890 has a multi-coloured rendered exterior and a hipped tiled roof, with paired round-headed windows on the first floor and a round-headed arched entrance with sidelights on the ground floor. Inside, the original staircase has square stick balusters and a mahogany handrail. Ground floor windows retain internal shutters. One ground floor room has an original wooden fireplace with a round-headed arch and keystone. First-floor windows have panelling below. An attic room retains an early 19th-century basket grate, and the basement retains the original fire surround.