Little Portobello Including Garden Railings To The West

Little Portobello is a house dating from the early 18th century, likely a remodelling of an earlier building, with later additions from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The construction is primarily Flemish bond brick, with the first floor tile-hung, and a peg-tile roof; it features brick stacks with corbelled brick cornices.

The original layout is a double-depth plan with two principal rooms facing east onto Windmill Hill, heated by end stacks and with a central entrance into a passage containing the stair. There are two narrow, heated service rooms at the rear, contained within a block roofed on the same axis. A former rear centre service stair to the first floor still has its attic flight. A cellar is located beneath the north end of the house. Later wings were added to the north end in the 1960s and 1970s, and a library wing to the southwest in the 1980s. The original plan has been largely retained, although the partition separating the principal and service rooms at the south end has been removed.

The house is two storeys and attic height. The east front is symmetrical, with three bays, a moulded brick cornice at first-floor level below the tile-hanging, and a moulded cornice below the eaves. A front door, dating to the 18th century, has six fielded panels and a horizontal porch hood. One-light windows flank the door and may also be 18th century. Other windows are 18th-century casements with flat-faced mullions, retaining their original square leaded panes and window furniture including quadrant catches. There are three attic dormers with hipped roofs and 2-light casements with quadrant catches and diamond leaded panes. The rear has end stacks to the service block and a central 18th or 19th-century half-glazed door. The building is surrounded by garden railings on a low brick wall of probably 19th-century date, together with a contemporary gate, which are included in the listing.

Inside, a dog-leg staircase with a closed string and turned balusters remains. Some original carpentry is exposed. The roof of the main block is inaccessible, but is a 18th or 19th-century common rafter roof with a ridge board to the rear block.