Guildford House

Guildford House is a Grade I timber-framed town house, now a gallery, built circa 1660 for John Child, a lawyer. It underwent alterations to the rear in the 18th century and internal alterations in the 20th century.

The front elevation is clad in painted wood, with the rear finished in mathematical tiles and tile-hanging. The building has a plain tiled hipped roof end on to the street. It rises three storeys, with the top two floors jettied out, and has stacks to the rear and left.

The three-bay front is articulated by giant Doric pilasters rising through the first and second floors, topped with a deep modillioned eaves cornice that breaks forward at the ends and centre over the pilasters. The central bay projects slightly and is surrounded by a pilaster strip frame. The second-floor central window is leaded, mullioned and transomed, flanked by further windows on each side. The first floor contains three tall windows; the centre window has a small 17th-century balcony in front featuring a central scrolled panel and alternate twisted railings. The ground floor retains an old shop front with one square bay window with glazing-bars on either side of the centre, set above panelled stall risers. Each elm stall riser comprises two square panels with a sunk panel between, carved in a floral spiral pattern. Double doors to the centre sit in a pilaster surround under foliage caps, with a round-arched head beneath a scrolled keystone, flanked by carved spandrels. Richly carved scrolls flank either side of the door, decorated with foliage and fruit.

The rear elevation rises three storeys with an attic gable containing two leaded attic casements. The second floor has two windows, and a large leaded oriel window to the first floor, topped with a lead tent roof and three plasterwork decorative panels beneath the windows.

The interior contains exceptional features. The central ground-floor room has massive exposed posts and spine beams in the ceilings and some pine panelling on the walls. The staircase hall features panelled pilasters, a doorcase with a pendant boss to the centre arch. The staircase itself, dating to circa 1680, is very fine work in pierced oak and elm with a simply moulded oak handrail supported by sturdy oak newel posts crowned with carved bowls filled with fruit and flowers. At the base of each newel post is a carved Tudor rose. The panel balustrade is richly carved in an acanthus pattern with interlocking spirals of foliage. The staircase rises to the top floor via a first-floor landing with twisted balusters surmounted by arcading of two bays, with fielded panels on the walls. The richest carved panel appears at the very top of the staircase.

The Garden Room has a plaster ceiling divided into five panels by deep beams decorated on the face with flowers and a guilloche band. The coved sides are decorated with acanthus patterning. The central oval panel is edged with a bay-leaf garland. Oak, deal and pine panelling line the walls, with fielded panelling on the fireplace overmantle. The oriel windows overlooking the garden retain elaborate 17th-century wrought-iron fasteners and espagnolette bolts, as do windows in the Pine Room and the first-floor landing.

The Pine Room is lined with pine panels rising to the ceiling above a dado. It retains its original mantlepiece carved with fruit and flower motifs, and features unusual sliding shutters recessed into the panelling that slide along the windowsills, flanking the windows.

The Powell Room is the finest room in the house, overlooking the street with proportions of a half-cube. Fine bolection panelling lines the walls with chair-rail and rectangular dado panels. The plaster ceiling, contemporary with the house and repaired in one corner in the 20th century, is divided into nine panels separated by deep beams covered with flowers and leaves. The very rich central round panel is contained in a wreath of fruit and flowers. Around the centre panel are four further panels with bay-leaf garland-edged ovals with winged cherub heads to the corners, and a further four corner panels containing sunflower motifs and masks of female heads.