Lovat Bank

Lovat Bank is a house built in 1877 by Edward Swinfen Harris for F J Taylor, a manufacturer of mineral water and mustard. It is designed in the Domestic Revival style and constructed of red brick in English bond, featuring some limestone dressings and timber-framed upper floors with brick noggings. The gables have plaster infill impressed with sunflower designs, and the roofs are tiled. The house has two storeys and attics, with the entrance located on the north side leading to a reception and stair hall. The reception rooms are situated on the south side, and there is a service wing to the left, which includes a service stair in a tower.

The front elevation showcases a brick and stone gothic porch with stone strings and a hood, along with an inner order supported by carved stone capitals. There is a recessed glazed timber door, and the first floor features a timber-framed bay and simple sash windows beneath near-flush pointed brick arches, similar to the style of Butterfield. Gabled dormers are also present. The stair tower is octagonal, rising from multiple chamfered brick offset courses, and has decorative brick panels that transition to a circular shape before multiple outsetting courses below the eaves. The tower is topped with a conical slate roof and decorative ironwork.

The rear elevation includes stone mullioned and dressed windows, along with two gables—one framed and the other tile hung. Inside, the staircase has carved newels and turned balusters, with a similar turned baluster gallery overlooking the hall from the first floor. There are some original fireplaces, various window box-seats, and panelled doors. The dining room features a gilded timber cornice and a panelled ceiling supported by carved wall posts and corbels. Notably, there is fine stained and painted glass, particularly in the dining room, where four panels representing the Seasons are possibly by N Westlake, a close associate of the architect. This house is considered the masterpiece of this significant architect associated with the Aesthetic Movement, who had connections with notable figures such as E W Godwin and Butterfield.