Homelea, Faith Avenue, Quarriers Village

Homelea is a villa built in 1886 by Robert Bryden, situated within the Quarriers Village. It is a roughly rectangular, single-storey building with an attic, and a piend-roofed design. The villa features half-timbered detailing and dormers that break the eaves of the roof. There are two-storey canted bays on the northeast and southwest elevations. The northwest elevation, which serves as the main entrance, has a half-timbered gable with a swept-roof porch on one side. A canted bay window is visible on the southeast rear elevation.

The exterior is constructed of cream sandstone ashlar, with some half-timbering and a bull-faced snecked sandstone base course. Architectural details include a base course, a ground floor cill course to the principal elevations, and a string course to the canted bays and gable. Eaves are bargeboarded. The windows have roll-moulded margins, some raised, and incorporate transomed and mullioned designs.

The northwest elevation’s entrance features a half-glazed, timber-panelled door within a swept-roof glazed porch with decorative woodwork. The main entrance door itself is a two-leaf timber panelled door framed by a stop-chamfered, roll-moulded architrave, with a decorative carved tablet above displaying the date AD 1886. An advanced gable in the centre has a tripartite window on the ground floor; the attic floor is jettied out and supported by carved stone corbels and timber brackets, complemented by half-timbering and a bipartite window with a timber mullion. A windowless, swept-roof, half-timbered bay with decorative turned baluster detailing is on the right side.

The southwest elevation has a canted bay to the left with a tripartite window at ground level, flanked by transomed windows, and a bipartite, gabled dormer to the attic. A recessed three-bay wing to the right has a half-timbered, two-window dormer in the attic.

The southeast elevation reveals a four-light canted bay window at ground level to the left, with a half-timbered, gabled dormer above. A slightly recessed bay to the right features a bipartite window at ground level and a corresponding half-timbered, gabled dormer above.

The northeast elevation mirrors the southwest elevation, with a canted bay and a piend-roofed dormer. A recessed three-bay wing to the left has a bipartite window with a decorative strap-work pediment above, a timber-boarded side door with a fanlight, and piend-roofed dormers. A possibly later door at first floor level is present with concrete steps leading to it.

The windows are timber sash and case designs with predominantly plate glass glazing, though some have four-pane glazing. The villa is topped with decorative ridge stacks featuring octagonal yellow clay cans, graded grey slates, decorative red terracotta ridge tiles, and cast iron rainwater goods.

Inside, the porch is tiled, and the inner door is half-glazed and timber-panelled. The entrance hall is divided into inner and outer sections, with a beam supported by decorative console brackets. The timber stair features boxed-in balusters, a timber handrail, a tapered newel post with a ball finial. Interior doorcases incorporate corner rondels, and many interior timber panelled doors are boxed in to provide fire resistance. Other interior doors are half-glazed and timber-panelled, with frosted glass to the side-door lobby and former office. The cornicing is fairly plain throughout.