Pounds House

Pounds House is a large villa dating to the mid-19th century, situated in Central Park, Plymouth. It is an impressive example of a villa built in stucco with notable detailing. The building has a large, roughly L-shaped plan and is characterised by dry slate hipped roofs and flat roofs with balustraded parapets and deep eaves, all featuring modillion cornices. Stuccoed axial and end stacks are present, complete with louvred entablatures.

The garden front is arranged with a 1:3:1 bay arrangement, the central bays set back and fronted by a five-bay loggia. The stucco detailing is extensive and includes channelled rustication to the ground floor, segmental and round arched openings, and pilastered openings on the first floor topped with open triangular or segmental pediments on consoles, or square-headed single or grouped lights with moulded cornice hood moulds on consoles. Most windows are late 19th or early 20th century horned sashes, with some French windows. The loggia has an arcade of keyed round arches on panelled square columns, and the balcony above features a turned balustrade over a moulded cornice embellished with modillions. A similar moulding runs around the building, accentuating projecting features. The wings flanking the loggia have canted bay windows on the ground floor and tripartite windows above. Turned balustrades, matching the balcony balustrade, are found along the front of the attached terrace and leading to steps at the rear.

The rear entrance front has a 1:1:2 bay layout, highlighted by a distyle-in-antae, unfluted Doric porch to the second bay from the left. A balustraded balcony sits above this porch, overlooking a two-storey break with a window topped with an open pediment. Blind windows mark the left of the porch, while paired windows are to the right of the first floor, above a single light. A large window with margin panes and a pair of lights are at the far right. The left return from the garden front features a 1:3:1:1 bay arrangement, with the left bay set back and a first-floor oriel to the right bay. The right return from the garden front has a central, pedimented oriel on brackets, and a projecting bay on the right with a pedimented window above a projecting window framed by a pair of square flanking columns.

The interior of Pounds House has not been inspected, but is expected to reflect the high quality evident in the exterior. As a good example of a mid-19th century villa.