Strathculm House

Strathculm House is a house, now divided into three dwellings, completed in 1863 for Charles Collins, the owner of the Hele Paper Company. The building features stucco over rubble and has a hipped Welsh slate roof with rendered brick stacks. It is designed in a U-shape, with a rear left wing that was extended in 1880 and includes a small rear courtyard.

The house is two storeys high, with the garden front showcasing a four-window range. To the left, there is a projecting hipped bay with a broken-pediment and a segmental-pedimented tripartite sash window above a canted bay window, which retains its original pelmets and paired brackets on the cornice. The windows are plate-glass sashes set in moulded architraves with cill blocks. A verandah with a swept roof is supported by cast-iron posts with ornate brackets.

The right-hand elevation also has a four-window range with similar cornice and windows, featuring a two-storey ashlar canted bay to the right of a Doric porch that leads to the main entrance, which has a half-glazed door. The left side elevation mirrors the four-window range and includes a plain rubble extension from 1880 at the rear.

Inside, the house boasts a complete and richly embellished classical interior from around 1863, featuring panelled doors and shutters within moulded architraves, enriched cornices, and marble and slate chimneypieces. The drawing room is notable for its lavish gilt ceiling rose and a decorative overmantle mirror above the marble chimneypiece. A very fine rococo-style staircase showcases naturalistic details on the balusters and newel.