Miles House

Miles House is a detached villa, built around 1840 and likely influenced by the work of H.E. Goodridge. It is now used as offices. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar with shallow-pitched slate roofs and wide, boxed eaves.

The design is irregular, approximately square in plan with an extension to the north-west. The range to the left steps slightly forward, while a three-storey porch to the right is set well back. A first floor sill band and a ground floor platband are visible externally. Details include raised eared surrounds to three/three pane sash windows on the second floor, and six/six pane sash windows to the lower floors. Guttae decorate the consoles supporting cornices and pediments. Narrow pilasters rise from the ground floor platband, through the sill band (forming panelled aprons), to support a pediment to the left and a cornice to the right over the windows. The cornice to the right incorporates pierced panels supporting a stone balcony on heavy stone brackets. A window on the ground floor to the right is of a similar style to the one above; to the left is a single-storey canted bay with a coped parapet and a cornice over each window. There are architraves to the return ranges, blind to the left, and with two/two pane sash windows to the right. A flat-roofed, three-storey porch is centrally located, featuring flat-arched recesses. It includes a six/six pane sash window on the first floor and, below, a returned cornice. The recess contains sunk spandrels above a semicircular fanlight over half-glazed double doors. The pilasters flanking the entrance have narrow recessed panels above and below a stepped cornice that acts as imposts to the arch. Tall chimney stacks are positioned on the side and central slopes of the roof, connected by plinths and cornices supporting four separate shafts. The right return has two two/two pane sash windows to the second floor, a blind window to the first floor, and a six/six pane sash window to the ground floor. The left return has similar architraves to the front but without consoles. Some windows are blind. A 20th-century metal fire escape is located in the centre of the left return. The rear elevation features windows similar to those at the front, although some are blind, and ground floor windows have been altered.

The interior has not been inspected. Historically, Miles House was one of the later houses at the foot of Bathwick Hill and was formerly the rectory to St Mary’s, Bathwick, as evidenced by old Ordnance Survey maps.