Beacon House

Beacon House is a large town house, originally designed as a free-standing building but now integrated into a row. It was constructed in 1766, and may have been designed by John Wood the Younger. The house is built of fine limestone ashlar with a copper roof. The design is nearly symmetrical, with the central three bays slightly projecting. The ground floor is rusticated, and there is a balustraded parapet. The house has three storeys and a basement, with a window arrangement of 1:3:1. The sash windows have glazing bars, with the exception of bays one and two on the ground and first floors. The ground floor window heads have heavy, triple rusticated keystones, while the first floor windows are set within a continuous podium below the cills, with balusters in the central three bays. The window architraves feature a variety of mouldings, including straight cornices, segmental, pointed, segmental pediments, and straight cornices. The second-floor windows have square architraves. A pair of 20th-century glazed doors are set within a bold Gibbs surround and cornice in the centre of the front, with a second set of doors in the recessed bay to the right. A segmental-headed door is located in the basement area to the left, and a complex arrangement of steps and railings provide access to the left of the main entrance. The right-hand recessed bay is noticeably narrower than the bay to the left. Broad chimney stacks are incorporated into the balustraded returns on the left side. The interior is richly decorated, featuring fine rococo plasterwork by William Stocking of Bristol, notably on the staircase. The staircase has balusters that are variously plain, fluted, or close-set spiral twisted, with a swept handrail. The entrance hall is fully panelled, with many good panelled doors.