Bessels House

Bessels House is a house dating to approximately 1830, built in 1819. It was constructed by John Epps, a businessman who owned cooked meat shops and the father of the early 19th-century Homeopathic doctor, Doctor Epps, who lived there in his youth.

The front elevation is symmetrical, featuring two large Regency bow fronts with curved sash windows in panelled frames on both the principal and first floors. A central projecting porch, originally with Doric columns, has been altered to include a small cloakroom to the side of the entrance door. Above the porch is a small canopied projection finished with stucco. The building has a stone cornice and parapet, concealing a mansard roof covered in Welsh slate, with three small dormers. A half-basement sits beneath a bow window on the left side, while a small terrace on the right conceals a basement. Six steps lead to the front entrance. Mid-19th century one-storey wings extend to the left and right, constructed of galletted random rubble. The left wing has a battlemented parapet and two brick niches; the right wing features a low-pitched slated roof. Gothick pointed windows with margin lights are present on the returns and at the rear.