12, Vineyards

This is a house, dating from approximately 1765 to 1775, with later 19th-century alterations. It was developed by Thomas Omer.

The front of the house is rendered and faced with ashlar, while the rear is faced with ashlar, now painted. It has a parapeted roof covered with pantiles to the front, with two ashlar stacks including some early clay pots, set on a coped party wall to the left. A staircase is located at the rear.

The building is three storeys high with a two-window frontage. The first floor has two six-over-six sash windows in plain reveals with a continuous stone sill. The second floor has three grouped four-over-four, six-over-six, and four-over-four sash windows, also in plain reveals and with a continuous stone sill. The ground floor has two six-over-six sash windows in splayed reveals with a continuous stone sill, and a six-panel door with flush, reeded, moulded, and glazed panels in a flat surround, topped with a hood supported by shaped brackets. Further details include a plinth, a possible former coved eaves cornice over the second floor, a frieze-moulded eaves cornice, and a coped parapet continuous with No. 11 Vineyards. A lead hopperhead and partially lead downpipe are shared with No. 11. A two-storey rear wing is partially visible on the rear elevation.

The interior has not been inspected.

The house was built on land previously owned by the Hayne family from 1638. In 1755 plans to sell the land to Thomas Omer for building reached an advanced stage, but were not finalised until a legal agreement in 1764. The plot, consistently referred to as ‘Vineyards’ throughout its history, is of uncertain former use for growing vines. A row of properties to the north of Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel was originally called Harlequin Row due to the unusual use of brick and stone in that construction.