Turton Villa

Turton Villa is an early to mid-19th century house in a row, originally designed as a detached property. The building is constructed of ashlar stone, with some rubble, and has a slate roof. It is a low, Tudoresque villa, now somewhat overshadowed by later construction, with a single-storey front range.

The rear of the villa rises to two storeys, and a central square tower incorporates chimney flues. The front range, intended for reception rooms, features an entrance lobby leading to two rooms on the left and one on the right, designed to be opened into a single large space via wide double doors. A staircase rises opposite the lobby from a transverse central passage, with a top-lit dining room to the left. A small courtyard helps to light the interior. An external passage and contemporary stone gateway provide access from Gloucester Street.

The Turton Street facade features three windows and the main entrance. The windows are large, two-light stone casements with a transom. To the left of the door, in a slightly projecting bay, is a central splayed light to a central mullion. The recessed entrance has a pair of segmental pointed doors with margin-pane side-lights, set within deep moulded reveals. A moulded label runs across the front below the parapet, topped with saddle-back coping. Above the door is a recessed square panel bearing the date 1771, though this date is believed to be an addition not reflecting the building’s style, which appears more likely to be from around 1840-1860. A tall stack with a high crown and crenellations stands to the right. A rubble tower with stone dressings is set back to the left. The rear wall is constructed of rubble to a height of approximately two metres, and is finished in painted brickwork.

The interior of the front range retains many original features. Most of the pine doors have two or three narrow pointed lights in the upper half. The lobby is lined with pine panelling above a match-boarded dado and features a large pair of glazed and panelled doors on three sides. The room to the right has a marble fireplace with a four-centred arch and a match-boarded dado. The two rooms to the left have been combined into one space by removing the partition. Two marble fireplaces and hearths remain, and a small door leads to the central passage; an original fitting incorporates a wide and high recess at the party wall. The dining room has a skylight with raking sides and a panelled soffit. The landing to the straight staircase has square-sectioned balusters. Stone stairs lead down to a cellar, which local tradition claims was a secret passage to Gloucester Lodge, Esplanade. It is purported to have been part of the gardens of George III’s lodge, though this would suggest the current building replaced an earlier structure, as it is unlikely to be earlier than about 1840. The villa is of interest within the context of later brick speculative developments in the surrounding area.