Earl's Court

Earl's Court is a polychromatic Gothic villa built around 1865, with three storeys and a basement. The construction utilizes grey brick with red brick bands and voussoirs. The roof features half-hipped gables embellished with thick traceried bargeboards and moulded brick cornices. A half-hipped porch canopy is located at the north-west corner, supported by chamfered timber brackets, leading to a vestibule lit by two-light windows containing stone Geometrical tracery. A straight-headed four-light window illuminates the hall, adjacent to a tall arched four-light staircase window, also with Geometrical tracery. A projecting north-east wing closes off the forecourt. The garden front (south) is dominated by an off-centre polygonal bay with steeply gabled dormers within a hipped roof. The chimneys have end stacks that are turned diagonally and feature vertical strips of red brick. The house was built in 1874 for the first Earl Cairns, who served as Lord Chancellor in Disraeli's governments of 1867-8 and 1874-80. He resided in the house until his death in 1885, and it is included on the list for its historical significance.