Horniman Museum

The Horniman Museum, built in 1902 by Harrison Townsend, is a notable example of early 20th-century architecture. Constructed from ashlar, the main section features a wide segmental gable that highlights the line of a glazed barrel roof behind it. The upper storey is blank but adorned with a row of pilasters that have leafy capitals, resting on a cornice from the lower floor. At the ends, there are hooded niches with wrought iron screens, supported by thick end pilasters with rounded angles and leafy capitals.

The first floor is filled with a large mosaic by Anning Bell, representing music, arts, and sciences, while the ground floor is mostly blank except for a bronze plaque. A terrace on two levels includes two walled staircases, with the upper staircase at right angles, leading to a round-arched entrance in the projecting square East tower. The basement of this tower serves as an open carriageway with round-arched entrances. The rounded angles of the tower lead up to four round turrets featuring carved decoration, and the tower itself is round in plan, topped with a thick cornice and large dentils, and includes clock faces below.

The walls are smooth and blank, with only two small windows at ground floor level. A plain link with a row of small windows connects to the main section, leading to a one-storey entrance link to a later annex from 1911, which is designed to harmonize with the main building. The museum has two storeys and an attic, with square angle towers that support a projecting segment-headed ground floor porch. The first floor has five windows under a slated pent roof with overhanging raftered eaves, and above this is a set-back gabled attic featuring three stepped slit windows. A wrought iron railing is positioned to the right in front of the link, with a lampholder above the door.