Orchardlea House, Forecourt Walls And Gates

Orchardlea House, along with its forecourt walls and gates, is a country house built in 1856 by T H Wyatt for William Duckworth. The structure features coursed rubble and slate roofs with bands in different colors, as well as tall ashlar stacks, some of which are grouped and have moulded caps. The architectural style is a mix of Jacobethan and "chateau" influences. The house is two storeys high with attics and has five bays, with the first, third, and fifth bays projecting. The fifth bay includes an oriel window, the third bay has a projecting three-storey porch topped with a spire and ornamental iron cresting, and the first bay features a projecting wing with an oriel window.

The central porch is flanked by three-quarter Tuscan columns beside a semi-circular headed door. There are niches on either side, each containing a figure of a troubadour holding a staff with a lamp. The porch is topped with a cornice that has urns, and the entrance features three-panelled paired doors with a fanlight. To the left, there is an irregular wing in a matching style, which predominantly has three-light mullioned and transomed windows, and an irregular lower wing to its left.

The interior has remained unaltered since 1856 and includes many original features such as fireplaces and a staircase in the "chateau" style. The forecourt wall is made of pierced ashlar and consists of a series of keyed semi-circular headed arches with a moulded coping. The central gate piers and supporting piers are designed in a similar style, most topped with urn finials. The paired central wrought iron gates are decorated with scrollwork and feature wreaths at the center, each carrying the interlacing initials CW and DW.