38, Richmond Hill

38 Richmond Hill is a Grade II listed villa built in 1838 by architect Mr. Shepherd for the Gordon estate. It is the only surviving villa from the early years of central Bournemouth and features a design that is more Grecian than Italianate. The building has two storeys and a basement, measuring three windows wide, and is constructed from white-painted brick with stucco dressings.

The architectural style is characterized by a severe rectilinear rhythm, highlighted by giant pilasters at each bay and a stringcourse at the first floor, topped with a flat roof parapet over an entablature. The central bay on both floors is recessed and features a tripartite porch with square piers. The doorway has a rectangular fanlight and is accessed by five steps with an iron handrail. Above the porch is a loggia, also tripartite, supported by square piers and connected by a pierced balustrade.

The ground floor windows on the left and right are also tripartite, separated by square piers and featuring a subsidiary order of pilaster-mullions, along with a panelled sill zone. There is a secondary doorway at the east end with a rectangular fanlight framed by pilasters and an entablature. Additionally, there is a stucco balustrade surrounding the basement area.