Washwell House

Washwell House is a detached house, likely originally three separate dwellings, dating from the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. The main front of the house faces away from the road, with its rear elevation running parallel. The building is composed of three principal connected units, linked by a low one-storey section to a gabled unit on the far left. The roof is mostly stone slate, with some concrete tiles on the left-hand gable. There are three gable stacks with decorative cappings, along with one brick ridge stack to the left.

The front facing the road is divided into three distinct sections. The left-hand unit is gabled and two storeys with an attic, featuring a concrete tile roof, and contains a 2 over 3-light casement window, a French door, and dormer windows. A low link section provides access via a plank door set under a timber lintel. The central block is set back and features a 6-panel flush door within a gabled porch with solid stone cheeks leading down to street level. The ground floor of this section has two wide-spaced 12-pane sash windows, while the first floor has a single light stair window and one 12-pane sash window to the right. The right-hand unit has a plain wall, interrupted by a small opening at the eaves and a ventilation grille; its return gable wall features a 2 over 3-light casement window and a French door.

The garden front is more elaborate. The left-hand section is constructed of coursed dressed stone and has three dormers over a 12-light sash window, two 16-light sashes, and a pair of margin-light doors beneath a stone slate pentice supported by brackets. The central section is ashlar and features three 2-light dormers over three 12-pane sash windows on both the ground and first floors, with those in the third bay being smaller. The third section, also of coursed dressed stone, has a single chamfered mullion casement window at both first and ground floor levels to the right of a 20th-century glazed door. It is connected to a gabled unit with 20th-century windows by a plain wall. The interior of the house has not been inspected.

The building makes a significant contribution to the streetscape and serves as an important entry point to the north end of the town, particularly when viewed alongside Washwell Barn opposite. The road on which it stands was constructed between 1820 and 1821.