Dinham House

Dinham House, dating from around 1862, is associated with the Mount Dinham complex and may have served as the residence for the Church of St Michael’s incumbent. It was built for William Gibbs, although the architect remains unknown. The house is constructed of Flemish bond brick with painted stone dressings, and has a slate roof with red brick chimneyshafts featuring a brick band. It is built in a Tudor style.

The house is situated next to the church and at the southeast end of the school range, projecting forward to form a U-shaped layout with a matching building to the northeast. It is approximately rectangular, with a porch on the southwest side.

The exterior is two storeys high. It has coped gables with kneelers. The asymmetrical three-window front has the left-hand bay slightly projecting and gabled. The main block is set at right angles and is gabled at the right end. A projecting gabled porch is centrally placed, featuring a chamfered arched doorway with quoined jambs, a plank door with strap hinges, and small one-light windows on its returns. Other windows are two and three-light, with quoined jambs, chamfered architraves, and transoms. The right gable, which serves as the main façade, has a canted ground floor bay window with a hipped slate roof and ovolo-moulded frames and transom. A two-light first floor window is in a similar style with a square-headed hoodmould, and a small one-light window sits in the gable.

The interior has not been inspected but may contain features of interest.

Dinham House is part of an important Victorian group, planned and funded by William Gibbs of Tyntesfield, a wealthy merchant, philanthropist and patron of building. The complex includes Free Cottages for the elderly, a school, and the church, which contains Gibbs’ marble effigy. According to Greenaway, the site was previously undeveloped, purchased by John Dinham to prevent it from being used as a fairground. Dinham gifted the land to the city, upon which Gibbs built.