52 and 54 St David's Hill

A pair of large houses, dating from the 1880s, now divided into flats. They are built of yellow brick in Flemish bond, with red brick bands and freestone dressings, and have a hipped slate roof covered with red ridge tiles. The chimneys are red brick with enriched cornices and some have round tops with louvred vents. Cast iron rainwater goods are also present. The architectural style is High Victorian eclectic.

The houses have deep rectangular plans, with rooms heated by end and axial chimney stacks. The two-storey buildings have attics. The front is symmetrical, with four bays, the central bays projecting and taller, and featuring crow-stepped gables. The lower, outer entrance blocks have moulded brick eaves brackets and porches with steep crow-stepped gables in the angles with the central bays. The porches have pilastered doorways with carved capitals and oriental double ogee arches over the doors. The front doors are of shouldered plank construction, fitted with Gothic strapwork hinges and arched overlights. All windows have cranked arched stone heads and are glazed with two-pane sashes. The central bays have canted bays with crenellated parapets above an enriched cornice; the window arches spring from carved floral capitals, and above the bay, each first floor has paired sashes with a one-light window in the gable. The outer bays have one ground floor window next to the porch and one first floor window.

The interior of number 52 retains panelled doors and other original features, including attractive floor tiles. The inner porches have half-glazed doors with four panes and two panels below a rectangular overlight.

The buildings have group value with the adjacent Church of St David. They form a striking pair of High Victorian houses at the upper end of a street containing many historic buildings.