Garden Cottage, Paxton House

Garden Cottage, possibly designed by William J Gray, dates to the later 19th century, with subsequent additions and alterations. This asymmetrical, two-story, three-bay building, with a near L-plan form characteristic of a Swiss Cottage, features a first-floor balcony to the front and a single-story ancillary range to the rear. The ground floor is constructed of slightly bull-faced, Cyclopean pink sandstone, while the rear employs tooled rubble. Applied half-timbering with painted panels adorns the first floor throughout. The first floor is stepped out to the northeast and southwest, supported by decorative timber brackets. Overhanging eaves, also bracketed with decorative timber, run throughout the building. Stugged quoins and long and short surrounds frame the ground floor openings, and plain timber margins feature at the first floor, along with timber mullions. Louvred timber shutters are present.

The southeast (front) elevation has a slightly projecting, two-bay gable end to the left, featuring a glazed door on the right at ground level and a bipartite window to the left. A bipartite opening is positioned at first floor, offset to the left of centre, with a single opening to the right. Square-plan timber supports underpin a timber balcony projecting at first floor, which has a fretted front displaying the inscription 'CONSIDER THE LILIES HOW THEY GROW'. Timber supports are also positioned beneath the overhanging eaves, featuring decorative timber brackets. The gablehead includes a kingpost and trusses. A recessed range is located to the right, with a bipartite window at ground level, offset to the left of centre.

The northeast (side) elevation has two bays, with a bipartite window at ground level to the left and a single window to the right. Centred at first floor are two bipartite windows.

The northwest (rear) elevation presents three bays. A single-story, lean-to projection extends to the left, centered by a boarded timber door. A small window is located at ground level in the recessed bay to the right, with another single window in the subsequent bay to the right. A single-story ancillary block projects to the outer right.

The southwest (side) elevation features a timber-bracketed canopy over a bipartite window at ground level to the right, and a window at ground level to the left, with a matching window aligned at first floor. A projecting balcony is adjoined at first floor to the outer right. A single-story ancillary block is slightly recessed to the outer left.

The windows are predominantly diamond-pane, although some modern replacements exist, and a rooflight is located at the rear. The roof is red tile, with fishscale banding, and has brick-built ridge stacks and various cans.

The interior was not inspected in 1999. The ancillary range comprises two single-story blocks forming a near L-plan range, enclosing a rear courtyard. These are constructed with tooled sandstone rubble and tooled dressings, with boarded timber doors and mono-pitched roofs.