Winchester House And Attached Railings

Winchester House, built in 1777 by George Gwilt the elder, is part of St Saviour's Workhouse and now forms part of Southwark Fire Station and Fire Brigade Training Centre. The eastern wing, which faces the main road, was enlarged and converted into two houses in the early 19th century. A practice tower was added to the rear around 1880 by Alfred Mott for its later use as a fire training centre.

The main elevation features brown brick with stucco details, a cornice, and a brick parapet, topped with a hipped slate roof that has red tile cresting. The building has a rectangular plan with a rear wing and stands three storeys tall with a basement, comprising 11 bays. The central three bays are highlighted by four giant stucco Ionic pilasters that support an entablature and a balustraded parapet above. The outer bays are flanked by sunk panelled pilasters that also support an entablature and balustraded parapets. There are modified Doric porches at the second bay from each end. The tall ground-floor windows have stucco architraves and cornices, with the window in the right end bay featuring a console bracketed pediment. A 20th-century one-storey projection is present at the left end bay. The first and second floors have sash windows with glazing bars, gauged flat brick arches, and stucco sills, with the central three bays having console bracketed cornices. The return elevation is much simpler.

The interior has not been inspected. The forecourt is enclosed by late 19th-century metal railings and brick piers. Historically, the workhouse transitioned into a hat factory and residence in the early 19th century, and in 1878, it became the headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade under Captain Shaw, which included a training school. The building is part of an important group with the Gothic-style fire station built to its left in 1878. A Gothic extension from 1883 by Robert Pearsall, which concealed the former workhouse from the main road, was demolished after the war.