Downe Hall

Downe Hall is a building that dates from either 1739 or 1775-6 and was constructed by William Downe, who also built Downe's Street between 1792 and 1795. The building is made of ashlar and has three storeys with a balustrade. The north front, which features a modern entrance, has three bays, with the centre breaking forward and curving at the sides. This section includes a two-storey Tuscan frontispiece set on a rusticated ground floor, with double doors that have fielded panelling and a semi-circular fanlight in a concave niche with a triple keystone.

The south front has five bays, featuring a central three-bay Ionic frontispiece raised on a rusticated basement, with an oculus in the tympanum and a semi-circular porch supported by Tuscan pilasters. The windows are sashes with glazing bars, and there are iron balconies on the first floor. Flanking the main structure are one-storey wings that have balustrades and round-arched sashes with glazing bars.

The interior was completely remodelled in the early 20th century, although some old panelling was retained. It features two late 18th-century marble chimney pieces with classical scenes sculpted in relief on the central dies, as well as a magnificent Italian 16th-century chimneypiece.