Purbeck House (Convent Of Our Lady Of Mercy)

Purbeck House, also known as the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy, was built in 1875 to replace an 18th century house on the site. The architect was G. Crickmay, and it was constructed for George Burt, who was the nephew and successor of John Mowlem. This impressive house is designed in a "baronial" style and features an asymmetrical layout, constructed of stone with a tiled roof.

The main facade has two storeys, plus attics and a basement, elevated above street level on a paved terrace with stone parapet walls. It includes crow-stepped gables at each end, a projecting granite porch, a large square bay window to the west of the porch, and further west, a projecting square tower that rises above the roofline as an octagon, finished with battlements. The main elevations are faced with granite fragments salvaged from the base of the Albert Memorial in London, which Burt was constructing at the time. The house also incorporates various other fragments from London buildings and features several stone and terracotta plaques of classical design from the 1851 Exhibition. Part of the terrace is paved with decorated encaustic tiles from the Houses of Parliament.

The windows are primarily sash windows set in stone surrounds, and there are gabled dormers in the attic. To the east of the main house is a single-storey former billiard room, now a chapel, which has a lead roof and walls made partly of stone and partly of terracotta tiles. There is a modern extension to the chapel in stone with a copper roof. The interior retains some original features, including a mosaic pavement in the entrance hall that Burt copied from a Roman pavement discovered during excavations at the Mansion House in London in 1869. Two ground floor rooms still have moulded and painted ceiling decorations and fireplaces made of Carrara marble, designed by Crickmay. The garden at the rear of the house is enclosed by walls made of Purbeck Stone.