Swanston House

Swanston House is a large house, dating to the early 19th century, with alterations made in the 20th century. Originally a single residence, it has been subdivided into flats. The house is constructed of stone rubble, with a cement render finish, and has a slate roof with gabled ends, as well as end stacks to the main range and wings. The conversion into flats has obscured the original internal layout, which likely consisted of a double depth plan with a central entrance hall and two principal front rooms. The flanking, single-room-wide wings may be slightly later additions.

The three-storey central block is symmetrical with the two-storey left (south) and right (north) wings, with a parapet that sweeps down over the wings. The east-facing garden front has three bays in the centre and one on each wing, with some late 20th-century alterations. The central entrance retains its original half-glazed door, featuring margin glazing, a rectangular fanlight, and a flat canopy supported by timber brackets. To the left of the door is a large transomed bay window with a tented lead roof, and to the extreme left a 20th-century half-glazed porch giving access to the left wing. A 20th-century French window and a door, also giving access to the right wing, are located to the right of the central door. The first-floor windows in the central block retain original twelve-pane sashes, while the left wing has a twelve-pane sash and the right wing a sixteen-pane sash. The original second-floor fenestration includes a six-pane centre sash; a tripartite left sash with six panes in the centre and two in the outer lights; and a right-hand window that has been replaced by a 20th-century casement in an enlarged opening.

The rear elevation is symmetrical with five windows, plus one window to the south wing. A central Tuscan porch features a panelled front door with a rectangular fanlight with margin glazing, panelled reveals, and a soffit. Ground and first-floor windows are twelve-pane sashes, with one being a 20th-century reglazing. The second-floor windows are six-pane sashes. The two-storey south wing has an early 19th-century doorcase with pilasters, a round-headed fanlight, and a panelled doorhead. A second door on the right return of the wing has a panelled round-headed soffit, panelled reveals, and an arched fanlight with intersecting glazing bars. Despite the 20th-century alterations, Swanston House retains an imposing east elevation, and the west elevation, visible from Fore Street, remains largely intact.