Melbourne House

Melbourne House is a detached house, originally built in the late 18th century, and later converted into offices in 1993. It is set back from the road. The house is constructed of Doulting stone ashlar, with the side portions rendered, and has a Welsh slate roof with coped gables and rendered chimney stacks.

The building’s main range is a compact, symmetrical square, containing a square entrance hall with an offset staircase flanked by single rooms, and two larger rooms to the rear. Each side has a slightly set-back wing. To the left is a single-story conservatory with a lean-to roof, and to the right, a larger block with a hipped roof extending to a parapet and containing a secondary staircase.

The front elevation is two stories high and five bays wide. It features sash windows with 12 panes, set in plain openings with quintuple keystone heads. The main entrance is in the central bay, with a six-panelled door within a stone surround incorporating attached Doric columns, a full entablature with metopes, and a pediment. The left wing has a single sash window with keystones, while the right wing is plain. A moulded cornice and blocking run along the main range, topped by a parapet and gable stacks. The rear elevation contains two large Palladian windows on each floor. The service wing has 15 and 10-pane sashes, and a large doorway within a stone architrave and pediment.

The interior, which was undergoing modification at the time of inspection, contains unusually high ceilings. The square entrance hall has a fine dog-leg staircase, running to a half-landing at the front of the building. The landing is supported by slender fluted cast-iron columns, with thin, shaped stick balusters to Doric newels, a mahogany handrail, and scrolled ends to the treads. The lower floor features a modillion cornice, a fire surround with egg-and-dart enrichment, a dado rail, and panelled shutters. The upper landing has a rosette and moulded cornice. The doors are panelled with raised mouldings, and the thick walls have panelled linings. An elliptical opening is present on the upper landing. Rooms are otherwise simply detailed. The service wing has a wide dog-leg staircase with stick balusters.