Ben Venue, Middle Warberry Road, and Lemon Tree Cottage, Sutherland Road

Ben Venue is a substantial villa built in 1858, with significant alterations carried out in 1908 by E H Harbottle, and further later additions and changes. The building now incorporates what was originally a separate service wing, part of which has been converted into a flat known as Lemon Tree Cottage.

The villa is constructed of stone faced with stucco, with low hipped slated roofs. Wide flat eaves on a block modillion cornice run continuously around the entire building. The chimney stacks to the main house have bracketed cornices with recessed panels and project at full height on the exterior walls. Those serving the former service wing are simpler, with stepped cornices or band cornices. Most of the original unhorned sash window frames with horizontal glazing bars survive throughout.

The main part of the house is roughly square on plan, with a large service wing extending north-eastwards from the centre of the north-east elevation and south-eastwards from the eastern end of the south-eastern elevation. At the eastern end of the building, following the roughly north-south line of Sutherland Road, a former carriageway originally ran beneath the oversailing first floor of the service wing; this is now enclosed and incorporated into the building. A small extension at the north end of this section dates from between 1908 and 1933. The conservatory extending from the south-west corner is a late 20th-century replacement of the original and is not of special interest. The terrace to the south-west of the house is a 20th-century addition and is also not of special interest.

The building is of two storeys throughout, with rusticated quoins and an eaves band. The front elevation of the main house, facing south-west, has two shallow gables above slightly projecting bays. The ground floor features prominent bow windows with full-length sash frames and broad dividing strips, approached by three semi-circular steps. These bow windows have balustraded parapets above a dentil course, creating balconies for the first-floor rooms, which have tripartite sash windows. On the north-west elevation is a square full-height bay window to the left, added in 1908.

The entrance to the building is placed in a single-storey canted projecting porch, positioned between the main part of the house and the eastern service range. The porch has a balustraded parapet. The entrance itself is flanked by panelled pilasters rising to console brackets below a segmental pediment, and the original six-panelled double doors remain. Above the porch, in the main part of the house, a tall arched window lights the main landing.

The south-east elevation of the main house features a full-height bow window with a door opening and two windows to the ground floor. The original door, which is curved in line with the bay and glazed with marginal lights, originally led directly from the hall into the conservatory. Above, a tall tripartite window follows the curve of the bay. Further to the east is an arched window at first-floor level, lighting the stair. On this elevation, the windows have multi-pane sashes rather than those with horizontal glazing bars used elsewhere. The canted bay of 1908, with a single narrow window to each storey, sits between the south-east elevation and the south-west return of the former service wing.

Within the former service wing, the north-west elevation has three windows above a wide garage opening to the ground floor, partially framed by the outer surrounds of the two windows which originally lit the pantry, now replaced by the garage. Further to the east is a gabled projecting section with another garage door, similarly framed by a residual window frame—this window originally lit the butler's room. Above is a triplet of arched windows with keystones. Further east again is the early 20th-century extension to the easternmost part of the former service wing, the wide carriage arch now filled by glazed doors, with a window above and one to the south-western return wall.

The eastern elevation of the building, fronting Sutherland Road, is of a single storey, with three tall rendered stepped stacks. The northernmost one, belonging to the early 20th-century extension, has recessed panels. Each stack projects slightly from the plane of the elevation with a window above; a fourth projection indicates the position of another stack, now removed. The elevation has two windows; the northern window is in the position of the original doorway, a new door opening having been made further north. The south-eastern elevation has a single window to the east; a blocked window further south probably relates to the removal of the 1908 extension. The south-west elevation of the former service wing has a ground-floor door opening flanked by narrow windows, with a tripartite window above.

The main doorway leads to an entrance lobby, from which a glazed screen with a door opens onto the square stair hall. This has a modillion cornice, a dado rail with a Greek key pattern, and a parquet floor. Opening from the hall are the principal rooms, their doorcases having cornices above pulvinated friezes in 18th-century style.

To the south-west are the drawing room to the south (originally the dining room) and the billiard room to the north (originally the drawing room), each lit by one of the bow windows with its original shutters. The drawing room has a marble chimneypiece with acanthus console brackets to the jambs and bay branches to the frieze. The room's cornice has scrolled acanthus above an egg and dart moulding, and an elaborate ceiling rose; there is also a moulded dado rail. 20th-century doors in an original opening lead to the conservatory. A 20th-century door opening connects the drawing room and billiard room. The billiard room has a chimneypiece of grey marble with detached columns and an original register grate with a warming grate. The cornice is decorated with lilies, and the dado rail is enriched with a Greek key pattern.

The study, to the north of the stair hall, is lit by the square bay window. The timber chimneypiece appears to be 18th century, the gesso decoration having a central musical motif. The vine decoration to the cornice suggests that this may originally have been the dining room. To the north-east of the stair hall is a 20th-century WC, in place of what was originally a passage giving access from the service wing; the door frame is also 20th century. In the north-east corner, a chamfered archway leads to what was originally the cloakroom.

The 1908 stair is of asymmetrical Imperial form, with a central flight rising south-eastwards from the centre of the hall to a half landing, then continuing in two flights: a right-angled flight leading towards the former service wing, and a second flight returning north-westwards towards the main landing. The stair is of oak, in a loosely Jacobean style, with elaborately carved starter newels. There is scrolled carving to the open string, and slender turned balusters support a broad rail, ramped towards the newels. Beneath the stair, oak small square panelling encloses the approach to the cellar, entered through double doors. The arched windows lighting the landings have panelled recesses. The original acanthus cornice to the upper ceiling survives, and the doorways to the bedrooms retain their moulded surrounds.

All the bedrooms have moulded cornices. The southern bedroom has a 20th-century chimneypiece in neoclassical style; the other bedrooms no longer have fireplaces. Each bedroom has partitioning creating a bathroom, installed in the mid to late 20th century. Throughout the main part of the house, the original panelled doors remain, with original brass door furniture. The cellar has been partly converted for domestic use, but brick wine bins with slate shelves remain.

The interior of the former service wing has undergone much change and reconfiguration, and few historic features remain. At ground-floor level the former pantry to the north-east is now a garage. Beyond this to the north-east is the area formerly occupied by the butler's room, of which the north-east wall was subsequently removed, merging the room with the former carriageway to create a large garage; this wall has now been reinstated and the room is now a small garage. The kitchen to the south is formed of the former kitchen and servants' hall. In the easternmost part of the building, the former carriageway is now enclosed. Within the glazed doors to the north, an iron hinge bracket remains to the east at the upper part of the opening. The decoration of this space is otherwise entirely modern.

The former servants' stair running between ground and first floor, which was placed near the centre of the service wing, has been removed. On the first floor, the south-western section, which originally provided family bedrooms, partially retains its plan, despite the removal of the corridor and rearrangement of bathrooms. The north-eastern part—including the early 20th-century northern extension—which originally provided servants' bedrooms and a box room, now contains the flat known as Lemon Tree Cottage. The interior of Lemon Tree Cottage, which has been much altered, including the repositioning of the entrance and other changes to the plan, does not retain historic features, and is excluded from the listing.