Down House

Down House is a house that was formerly a workhouse, built in the early 19th century with later alterations. It features a stucco exterior and a pitched slate roof that is hipped over the side pavilions, with projecting eaves in a classical style. The building has two storeys and two bays that project forward on each side, with a window arrangement of 1:3:1. The central block has sash windows set in flat reveals, with central double doors that have margin glazing and a decorative fanlight above. The parapet adds to the classical appearance. The side blocks contain 16-pane sash windows on both the ground and first floors, all in flat reveals. The east elevation has two sash windows, while the west elevation has three sash windows, including two on the ground floor and a French window.

At the rear, there is a lower two-storey wing with four windows, all of which are two-light casements on the first floor, and a small two-light casement to the north. The ground floor features two four-light casements and a 20th-century window. The rear also has irregular windows, all from the 19th century, including a tall round-headed window with radial glazing bars that lights the stair. The rear wing includes two doors and one two-light casement on the first floor. Inside, there is a wide hall with reeded beams on brackets that divide the ceiling into three bays, a cornice, a reeded marble fireplace, and a vaulted passage on the first floor. The building was used as a workhouse from about 1814 to 1830, until a new workhouse opened in Thornbury.