56, The Drive

This villa, now incorporating a restaurant, was built in the 1880s by William Willett. It is constructed of yellow stock bricks, with a lavish use of moulded and incised brickwork detailing the cornices, aprons, string courses, and lintels. The basement is rendered, and the roof is covered with bitumen-coated slates, featuring a hipped central attic bay and stacks that form continuous walls on the returns. The plan is double-fronted. The building is two storeys high with an attic over a basement. It has a 3:1:3 bay arrangement, with full-height bays flanking the central bay, which extends upwards into the attic storey. The windows are sash windows without glazing bars, set within segmental headed openings, and have cills resting on shaped brackets. A round-arched entrance is supported by rusticated piers with ornate capitals, leading to a recessed panelled door with a fanlight and sidelights, and approached by a shallow flight of steps. The villa forms part of a group of buildings designed by William Willett along The Drive.