Higher Anderton House

Higher Anderton House is a house dating from around 1830, with subsequent, limited alterations. The house is constructed of stucco, topped with a slate mansard roof concealed behind a parapet and featuring gable-end stacks. It has a double-depth plan, with two principal rooms facing the garden at the front, accessed by a side entrance leading to a lateral corridor and stairwell. This corridor separates the front rooms from the service rooms at the rear.

The main front presents a symmetrical facade of 1:3:1 bays, with the two outer bays narrower. The ground floor is horizontally rusticated, with three French windows, the central one now blocked. At the first floor, bays are divided by pilasters, the outer ones on plinths. There are three 12-pane sashes in the central bays, with a cornice and a tall parapet featuring three recessed bays, outer square recessed bays, and a cornice above. The entrance front on the left also features ground floor rustication with blind recessed bays on either side, and a plate-glass sash window on the right end. A Greek Doric portico, with unfluted columns, a triple stepped blocking course, and acanthus consoles to the rear, fronts the entrance. The door is eight-panelled, with a wreath and fist knocker, and an overlight with margin glazing. Above, three similar recessed bays are present, along with a plate-glass sash window. A cill band course and cornice run across. At attic level, there’s a central 4-pane sash with a segmental head. The parapet ramps up to the chimney at the gable end.

To the left, a rendered wall sweeps around, incorporating a pair of rendered, rusticated piers with flat tops. The right side is rendered and lined out, with a plate-glass sash at ground floor level and a 9-pane sash in the attic. The rear is also rendered and lined out, with a 16-pane sash on the right and left of a central porch with a pitched roof and a 9-pane light, and a door to the side. A 24-pane sash serves as a stair light. Two raking dormers, each with a 9-pane sash, are also present.

Inside, the two principal front rooms on the ground floor feature plaster cornices decorated with wheat-ears, poppies, and vine leaves with grapes, along with angled acanthus leaves, matching the style of the plasterwork at Maker and Rame Vicarage, Kingsand. The room to the right has a grey marble fireplace with reeded pilasters and a frieze, while the room to the left has a black marble fireplace. Both rooms feature 6-panelled doors. There is an open-well stair with stick balusters, a wreathed handrail, and a scrolled string. A small parlour is located to the rear left, with a plain marble chimney piece. The kitchen to the rear right includes a built-in dresser with panelled cupboards and drawers; a pantry also features a dresser, situated between the kitchen and the lateral corridor. Higher Anderton House occupies a prominent position on Hancock's Lake.