Avondale House

Avondale House is a villa, dating from 1834-5, and later converted into flats. It was built for Lt-Col Thomas Barron of the East India Company. The house is constructed of stucco over brick, with a hipped slate roof and stuccoed stacks at the centre and right end. It follows a double-depth plan, with an entrance on the left return.

The exterior is two storeys with a basement, and features five first-floor windows. Stucco detailing includes end pilasters with sunk panels, and tooled architraves to the ground and first-floor windows; those on the ground floor have a frieze and cornice. The ground and first floors have 6/6 sash windows, the basement has 2/2 sashes, all in plain reveals with sills. On the left return, there are four first-floor windows, with a similar pilaster to the right end and a breakforward to the three left windows. The first floor has a blind window, then three 2/2 sashes. The ground floor has a 6/6 sash and a blind opening. An off-centre left entrance is located within a solid porch with two pairs of Doric pilasters, a frieze, a cornice with a blocking course, and a flight of steps leading to double, studded four-panel doors and an overlight with margin-lights; the sides of the porch have 1/1 sashes. The rear of the house retains 6/6 sash windows.

The interior is reputed to retain original joinery including panelled shutters. The house was built as part of a development undertaken for Joseph Pitt between 1825 and 1842, with the general layout designed by the architect John Forbes. It occupies an important corner position and contributes to a group of listed buildings forming a good grouping around a central grassed area.