Binghill House, Milltimber

Binghill House is a large house dating to circa 1840, with significant additions and alterations made between 1885 and 1889, and a billiard room extension built in 1900. It is a two-storey house with an attic and basement, and is arranged as a three-bay, multi-gabled composition with a single-storey billiard room addition to the west. The house is set within large garden grounds.

The building is constructed of coursed rubble with tooled granite dressings. The principal elevation has bargeboards to the gables, featuring intricately carved grapevine motifs. Reed moulded bargeboards are present on the side and rear elevations. A gabled timber porch, supported on octagonal columns with grapevine motifs to the capitals, shelters the main entrance, which has sidelights and a fanlight; the porch is topped by a wrought iron finial with a leaf motif. An advanced gable to the left features a large, round-arched multi-pane window on the ground floor, a corbelled oriel window and cill course on the first floor, and a central gabled dormer. Ball finials are present on the gables, although some are now missing from the principal elevation.

The 1900 billiard room addition to the west elevation has a five-light mullioned and transomed bay window and door at the centre, set under a bracketed gable. Two gables break the wallhead on the west elevation of the billiard room, and the rear (north) wall is canted. The east elevation has a full-height canted and corniced bay to the left. A row of single-storey outbuildings is located to the rear.

The windows are predominantly timber sash and case windows with 15 panes over one pane, although the rear windows have predominantly 12 panes. The roof is covered with grey slate, and there are wide end stacks with clay cans.

The interior, inspected in 2014, has a high-quality decorative scheme with intricate plasterwork and carved timber fixtures and fittings dating to the 1880s. The entrance hall features fluted pilasters, a panelled ceiling, timber panelling, a timber mantelpiece with a carved overmantel incorporating cupboards, and a dog leg staircase with elaborately turned timber balusters, a moulded handrail, and a carved newel post. A leaded and stained glass window is located at the first landing. The drawing room has a mantelpiece with fluted pilasters and a bracketed mantelshelf, panelled walls, a decorative cornice, and a plaster ceiling with an elaborate geometric pattern. The billiard room has timber panelling to the dado, a timber fireplace set in a full-width inglenook to the rear, a deep moulded cornice, and a coomed ceiling. A first-floor bedroom has a decorative mantelpiece incorporating a glazed tile inset and an egg, dart and foliage cornice. The attic rooms have plain cornices and timber fireplaces. The basement includes a brick wine cellar and perforated grills to the doors of the storerooms.