Former Infant Welfare Centre and front boundary wall

Former Infant Welfare Centre

This building was constructed in 1929 or 1930 as a neo-Georgian design by John Bennett, the City Architect, with Wakeham and Tucker as the builders. It is named the Alice Vlieland Infant Welfare Centre, as inscribed on the main elevation.

The building is constructed of red brick laid in stretcher bond with stone dressings, beneath hipped, tiled roofs. It has a rectangular footprint comprising a two-storey central block with an entrance loggia and flanking single-storey ranges which are L-shaped in plan.

All elevations feature a horizontally-banded brick plinth and overhanging eaves. The majority of windows retain their original timber or Crittal-style steel frames.

The north-facing main elevation has a double-height central block fronted by a three-bay loggia supported by circular stone columns: the central two are paired, with half-columns at the ends. The capitals are decorated with geometric mouldings. The entablature carries the inscription THE ALICE VLIELAND INFANT WELFARE CENTRE, and above this is a raised central parapet ornamented with circular motifs and fluting. The entrance comprises a pair of glazed doors flanked by plain pilasters and stone flat-faced mullioned windows of five metal-framed lights. Below the window on the right is the foundation stone. Three hipped dormers with wooden casements pierce the roof. Flanking the central block are single-storey ranges, each with a projecting front bay which breaks slightly forwards. Each has two timber windows flanked by pilasters with banded rustication and surmounted by a parapet. The east range, originally a caretaker's flat, extends eastwards with two further bays defined by rusticated pilasters. The right-hand bay has an entrance with a 1930s timber door with glazed upper section and small light, both with stretcher brick lintels. To the left is a further window; the left bay is blind. The west range frontage continues with a three-light window and an entrance, now blocked, flanked by pilasters. The west return has offset pilasters at the corners with each bay having its own hipped roof. The opening in the left bay has been infilled; the central and right-hand bays have five- and four-light timber windows respectively, with the rightmost being a modern replacement. A dormer window appears in the west elevation of the double-height block.

The rear features an open-fronted verandah with glazed roof carried on single and paired pillars resting on stone pads. The ends are screened by stepped walling at right angles to the building. The single pillar to the far right has been removed to accommodate a boiler house addition. The five bays of the double-height block are expressed by plain pilasters. Each bay has paired glazed doors at ground-floor level, and the three central bays have tall transomed and mullioned dormer windows at first-floor level which cut through the eaves. The single-storey ranges at either end contain three-light timber windows and are surmounted by parapets. On the east elevation, the two outer bays of the single-storey range break forwards, each with a three-light window flanked by rusticated pilasters.

Internally, the ground-floor room arrangement has changed little. The main north entrance opens into a vestibule and a west-east corridor providing access to rooms and lavatories in the central block. Both the vestibule and corridor feature lightwells with geometric design to the glazing bars. The east and west ranges, which served as caretaker's accommodation and offices respectively, retain their overall historic layout. Many original doors and architraves survive, mostly with horizontal panels and original door furniture, though some doors have been replaced. The main hall and therapy rooms are plainer with suspended ceilings, and each has paired doors opening to the rear verandah. Many original fittings such as horizontal-panelled doors, architraves and joinery survive despite some fire door additions. A large dresser in the east range may also be original. The first floor was not accessible at the time of survey in 2017.

A dwarf boundary wall of brick with stone and concrete capping stands to the front of the property. A break in the wall at the entrance to the building features low brick piers. A wider opening with tall gate piers with moulded stone caps flanks the driveway to the west. Both the wall and gate piers have undergone repairs and some rebuilding.