Fairfield And Fairmead

Fairfield and Fairmead are two houses that were originally built as one in 1827. The building is stuccoed, with the rear part partially slate-hung, and features slate roofs, along with stacks that have short brick shafts and old pots. The main block is three storeys high and is flanked by lower-roofed wings on the same axis.

The centre block has a gabled slate roof, while the two-storey left and right wings have hipped roofs at the ends. The façade is symmetrical with a 1:3:1 window arrangement and front doors leading into the wings. It has deep eaves with projecting rafter ends and a seven-bay verandah supported by cast-iron columns. The round-headed doorways are adorned with pilastered architraves, and the front doors are two-leaf half-glazed with plain overlights. The first-floor windows in the wings and the second-floor windows in the main block are 12-pane sashes with margin panes. The ground floor of the main block features rusticated detailing with French windows that also have margin panes. The verandah is decorated with an attractive cast-iron balustrade featuring spider's-web panels. The first floor of the main block has three French windows similar to those on the ground floor, with stuccoed voussoirs, although the right-hand one is missing. The rear elevation is partly slate-hung and includes a very tall round-headed stair window.

Inside, Fairfield was partially inspected and features a fine cast-iron elliptical cantilevered stair in the wing. Historically, the house was advertised for rent as "nearly finished" in 1827 under the name Broadgate Villa. By 1918, it had been renamed Fairfield. The Munro family resided there from 1872, and HH Munro, known as the author "Saki," was raised in the house by his grandmother and two maiden aunts. His book, The Square Egg, published in 1924 with a biographical note by his sister, recounts life at Broadgate Villa during the 1870s and 1880s.