Hillside House And Front Terrace Wall And Railings

Hillside House, along with its front terrace wall and railings, is a hotel built in the late 18th century or early 19th century. The building is rendered and features a slate roof. It has a symmetrical central stair hall plan and is set on a high plinth storey at basement level. The structure consists of two storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a three-window range. The dormers are flat-roofed and have two-light small-pane casements with slate cheeks, positioned above 12-pane sash windows in plain reveals. On the ground floor, there are canted sash bays with four, twelve, and four panes, topped with hipped slate roofs, and a central hipped porch that has solid cheeks and part-glazed 19th-century doors leading to a radial fanlight. A deep brick stack is located to the right. The building previously included a projecting gabled bay from the adjoining No. 24, which is not included in this listing, and the terrace extends across this bay. The rear features a two-light small-pane casement window for the staircase and has a flat-roofed extension.

Inside, most of the original panelled doors remain, having been previously painted. There are some moulded cornices and 19th-century fireplaces in each of the front rooms on the ground floor; the fireplace to the right has a reeded surround with tiles, while the one to the left is made of painted slate and features Art Nouveau tiles. The dogleg staircase has a stick balustrade with a swept handrail and turned newels, and there is a second service staircase that is spiral with slate treads.

The front features a plain rubble retaining wall with a large garage opening on the left. The wall slopes down to the right, containing a flight of steps with two plus eleven slate treads. A continuous cast-iron railing with spearheads runs across the front and serves as a balustrade for the steps, with a small contemporary iron gate at the bottom. This building is possibly the earliest hotel in the area, retaining more original details than most.