14, Vineyards and attached railings

This is a house, built around 1765 to 1775, developed by Thomas Omer. It is a building of group value, contributing to the significance of the surrounding area.

The front of the house is faced with limestone ashlar, while the rear is a combination of ashlar and rubble. It has a double-pile, parapeted mansard roof covered with Welsh slate. The roofline terminates with a coped party wall to the right, and there are two ashlar chimney stacks, some of which retain early clay pots. A staircase runs the full height of the building, with a shallow, full-height bow window to the left front.

The house is three storeys high, with an attic and basement, and has a three-window front. The first floor has three plate glass sash windows with horns, narrower on either side, set in plain reveals with splayed jambs and lowered stone sills. The second floor mirrors this arrangement. The ground floor also has three plate glass sash windows in similar style, and to the right is a six-panel door with flush beaded, fielded and glazed panels. The door is set within a shared doorcase with number 15 Vineyards, featuring a 19th-century timber architrave and floating cornice. A single step leads to a Pennant paved crossover, also shared with number 15 Vineyards, and a wrought iron footscraper. The basement has three plate glass sash windows with stone sills. A double dormer window is situated on the roof, featuring plate glass sashes. A band course runs above the ground floor, and a moulded eaves cornice sits below the parapet, which is continuous with that of number 15 Vineyards. The rear elevation features plate glass sash windows and 20th-century windows, along with a small ground floor extension.

The interior has not been inspected.

The house was built on land once owned by the Hayne family from 1638, who acquired it from William Snygge. This land passed down through inheritance, and in 1750, Charles Hayne cleared a mortgage and other debts. Plans to sell the land to Thomas Omer for building development progressed to an advanced stage in 1755, but were formalized in an indenture dated 26 February 1755, where Charles Hayne sold the land to Thomas Omer, a gentleman, and Thomas Jelly, a carpenter acting as his trustee, for a yearly rent of £50. Belmont was constructed on the west edge of the same land.

The plot is historically referred to as ‘Vineyards,’ although the date when vine growing ceased is unknown. A row of houses to the north of Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, originally called Harlequin Row, was notable for its unusual combination of brick and stone construction.