Former Western College (Original Block)

The former Western College, originally a Congregational theological college, was built in 1861 by J Hine in Plymouth. It is constructed of Plymouth limestone rubble with Bath stone dressings, featuring steep dry slate roofs, a spire to the taller entrance porch, and steep pyramidal roofs to lower wings set back on either side. The building is executed in a Gothic Revival style.

The building has a large, irregular double-depth plan, with a central principal entrance block. The exterior presents a 1:4:1:4:1-window range, with paired pointed-arched lights under a pointed arch with blind plate tracery to the ground floor. There are two small gabled porches, one slightly left of centre with a buttress behind, and another towards the left, both incorporating triple-arched door heads with cusped overlights. Further doorways to the right are formed from the right-hand lights of two windows, all with planked doors. Notable features include a carved impost string and carved capitals to the mullion shafts. The first floor has a sill string, paired square-headed lights and carved capitals to the taller mullion shafts. The bay to the left of the main porch is taller, featuring a 3-light window with pointed lights beneath a rose window within a gable. The entrance tower has a canted front with 2-light windows with cusped heads under star tracery, over pointed-arched doorways. Ground-floor windows have glazing bars, while the first-floor windows have pointed heads over transoms.

The interior consists of a large entrance hall with a canted glazed and panelled entrance screen featuring pointed arches and fielded panels. Three pointed arches lead to the rear, the central one a niche containing three arches. The hall has a moulded plaster ceiling cornice.

The building demonstrates an imaginative use of the Gothic style.