The Follies

"The Follies" is a large town house located at the end of a street row, dating from the 17th century. It is constructed from limestone ashlar and features a plinth and second offset, with two continuous moulded strings and concrete stone slate roofs that have coped gables, all topped with diagonally set finials, except for the ends of the main front, which are set square. The building has a compact cross-gabled design with two gables facing the street and corresponding back gables, each featuring five double shaft ashlar stacks with skirts and moulded cappings, along with a smaller central gable.

The house is 2½ storeys tall with a basement and has three windows across the front. The gables contain 2-light chamfered mullion casements beneath stopped drips, and there is a 20th-century dormer set behind the parapet between these. On the first floor, there is a 3-light double-chamfered mullion casement situated between two 18th-century gables with glazing bars in double-chamfered surrounds. The ground floor features one 3-light casement similar to the first floor and two 18th-century sash windows in surrounds. The basement has two small 2-light chamfered mullion casements and a square cellar access on the right.

An off-centre entrance on the left is approached by a flight of seven stone steps that run parallel to the front, leading to a six-panel fielded door beneath a wood moulded cornice. The steps are adorned with wrought iron balusters and a handrail. On the return gable, there is one 2-light casement similar to the front, above another 2-light window without a drip, and at ground level, there is a plank door in a chamfered surround along with an 18th-century sash window with glazing bars. The rear of the house features a 2-light mullioned casement under stopped drips at both the ground and first floors. The roof's back slopes retain their original stone slates.

Inside, the original roof structure is pyramidal, with purlins cutting across some window openings and exposed rafters on the left side. There are two large open fireplaces with flat 4-centred arch lintels and chamfered stopped beams. To the left of the throughway, there is a door in a chamfered 4-centred opening, and the external door at the north end of the building is original, made of three wide planks with heavy straps.

This house is considered one of the finest and more formal residences in the town.