Bishop'S House

Bishop's House is a house dated 1711, possibly designed by John Strachan. It is constructed of limestone ashlar with render, features gable stacks, and has a slate hipped roof. The building has a double-depth plan and is in the early Georgian style, consisting of two storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a seven-window range. The front is symmetrical, with a two-window left-hand wing and a central entrance section that is banded and slightly projecting. This section has banded outer pilasters leading to a frieze and cornice, topped with a parapet featuring balustraded sections and urns at the corners. The doorway is framed by fluted Ionic pilasters, a pulvinated frieze, and a segmental pediment, with a rectangular fanlight above a six-panel door. The window above the entrance has a pediment, keyed architraves, and segmental heads, with six-over-six pane sashes. There is a tooled Pennant quoin strip at the ground floor left-hand corner.

Inside, the house features good joinery, with a large central entrance stair hall divided by a segmental arch supported by fluted pilasters and half panelling. This leads to a rear open-well stair with column-on-vase balusters, a ramped moulded rail, and a wide curtail. The right-hand front room is fully panelled and includes a marble fire surround, panelled shutters, and six-panel doors.

Bishop's House is noted as the first of an important group of early and mid 18th-century houses built in Clifton, attributed to stylistic analysis.