Pinner House

Pinner House is a large house, now used as a home for the elderly. It likely originated in the 17th century, with significant remodelling occurring in the early to mid-18th century, evidenced by a brick reportedly dated 1721. Further alterations were made in the 19th and 20th centuries. The front elevation is of red brick in Flemish bond, with darker red brick dressings. The side and rear elevations are tile hung above a late 20th-century brick plinth. The roof is hipped and tiled, with paired corniced brick stacks at the centre.

The house has three storeys and a cellar, with five bays at the front (and three at the rear). The south-west front has a roll-moulded plinth. The central bay projects and features giant pilasters rising from the first floor, supporting a pediment. A central entrance is set within a projecting, corniced brick panel, with steps leading to a six-panel door and a fanlight with decorative glazing bars. The door is framed by a wooden architrave with fluted Ionic pilasters and a dentilled open pediment. Windows are sash windows with 20 panes on the ground and first floors, with flat brick arches above, and shorter windows with 16 panes on the second floor. All windows have exposed sash boxes and brick aprons to the first and second floors. Segmental-arched cellar windows are present in the two right-hand bays. A deep modillion eaves cornice runs around the building. The rear elevation features a tall central stair window. A two-storey canted bay with 12-panel sashes on the ground floor and 20-pane sashes above is on the right-hand return. Later 20th-century extensions are located at the rear and to the rear right.

Inside, the entrance lobby has a floor of black and white stone, and a grand entrance with columns supporting an archivolt, all within a pilastered and corniced surround. The early 18th-century open-string, dog-leg staircase rises to the attic and includes a panelled dado, twisted column-on-vase balusters (two per tread), wave-moulded tread ends, a moulded handrail with spiral curtail, and columnar newels. Early 18th-century doors, cupboards, and fireplaces are found throughout. The interior features chamfered spine beams with pyramid and lambs tongue stops. One room on the ground floor has early 18th-century panelling and an eared fireplace architrave with an elaborate frieze and cornice; the room above is also panelled. A room on the left-hand side of the ground floor contains reset 17th-century panelling. In the attic’s right-hand gable, a pair of principal rafters from a former, lower roof line are preserved. A photograph from around 1924 shows that the side elevations were then rendered rather than tile-hung.