Eaton House Including Walls And Railings

Eaton House is a dwelling, now used as offices, dating to the late 1880s. Built by William Willett, it is constructed of yellow stock bricks with extensive decorative brickwork used for the cornice, string courses, lintels, and quoins. The roof is slate, with brick stacks featuring moulded caps. The building follows a double-pile plan and includes a one-bay conservatory on the ground floor and a rear extension. It has three storeys plus an attic over a basement, with a three-bay front of one bay, followed by one bay, then three bays. The canted outer bays are full height, featuring segmental-headed window openings with cills supported by shaped brackets, and sash windows lacking glazing bars. The entrance is round-headed, constructed of moulded brick (now painted), and is accessed via steps with a tessellated pavement. The entrance features double doors, approached by a flight of steps with tessellated pavement, and a stained glass fanlight—clear glass has replaced the original lamp. Inside, the conservatory has a brick wall bordering the adjoining property, damaged cast-iron cresting to the pitched roof, four small painted glass panels depicting birds on the facade, and coloured glass windows. The walls return from the entrance along the street frontage, incorporating a low brick boundary wall with original cast-iron railings set between brick piers with moulded coping. The interior contains a collection of original fittings, including plasterwork friezes to the ground floor rooms and staircase. A black marble chimneypiece with shaped brackets is located on the ground floor to the right, while a painted wooden chimneypiece is to the left; a laurel-leaf-moulded architrave frames an arched doorway leading to the conservatory, and another architrave (partially filled with stained glass) is situated at the end of a blocked passage. A stained glass panel illuminates the stairway, which features ornate cast-iron balusters returning around a newel post and a varnished wooden handrail. The hall and stairway have an original tessellated floor, and Lincrusta paper with a sunflower motif is present throughout, though painted over with gloss paint. The first floor has simple marble pilaster chimneypieces, and a small angle chimneypiece with a damaged grate is in the room by the stairs. The attic is accessed via a staircase with turned wooden balusters. Rear extensions are not visible, but likely include another conservatory on the south front. The house retains most of its original fittings and, together with Nos 14 and 18, contributes to a group of substantial residences on the Willett estate.