Surf Point

Surf Point

A castellated seaside folly-style house designed as a light-hearted holiday home resembling a large sandcastle. The building is asymmetrically planned around a main square block with octagonal towers at its seaward-facing corners, and an additional rectangular block extending from the north-east corner. A castellated wall extends south-eastwards from the south-east corner of the rectangular block, returning north-eastwards to enclose two sides of a yard with lean-to verandahs and outbuildings positioned along the inner faces of the shielding walls, and a small pitched-roof hut in the centre.

The principal elevations are the north-west and south-west faces of the two-storey square block, which face out to sea. Both elevations feature a continuous stressed string above the first-floor windows, octagonal towers at each corner, and slightly recessed sash windows with single-paned lower lights and small-paned upper lights. The north-west elevation has similarly detailed windows between the towers—three windows to the ground floor and two to the first floor flanked by small circular fixed lights. The south-west elevation contains a single ground-floor window towards the south-west tower, with the towers linked by a slate-roofed verandah on timber supports. A rectangular stack projects slightly from the south-east face above a Lombard frieze; to the left of the stack the castellated parapet steps upwards in three steps, echoed by detailing on the wall below. The south-east elevation of the square block returns to meet the rectangular block and has a single ground-floor window and first-floor with three mock arrow slits.

The south-west elevation of the rectangular block has a single first-floor window at its north-west end. To the right of this window is an advanced block formed by three sides of a tall stair tower illuminated by tall, narrow, small-paned lights across three storeys; the ground floor forms a further advanced square block with a slate roof and two round-headed lights. The south-east return beyond the stair tower features a first-floor transomed and mullioned window of three lights, with stained glass in the upper lights depicting sailing ships; the storey above has five mock arrow slits. The south-west elevation then continues as a two-window range with ground-floor slate-roofed verandah. The north-east elevation of the square block mirrors the south-west, with a tower at the corner and opposing chimney stack. The north-east elevation of the rectangular block follows, with the north-west section containing single windows to ground and first floors, the central section with two ground-floor windows and four narrower first-floor windows, and the south-east section with a single ground-floor window at its south-east end and a wider ground-floor window to the right.

Beyond the south-east end of the rectangular block is a yard accessed through a segmental-headed panelled door under a segmental arched porch on rubble piers. A wall extends from the south-east corner and returns north-east with a castellated parapet stepped upwards at the centre and angles. The inner walls of this yard are lined with lean-to outbuildings and slate-roofed verandahs; a small pitched-roof outbuilding extends from the lean-to at the south-east end.

The house entrance is at the landward side, reached through two gateways with square rubble piers surmounted by rendered caps and globe finials. The gates are wooden, with slat piercing to the bottom sections and spaced slats under a top rail descending to the centre. The grounds are enclosed by low rubble walls. The composition is unified by consistently detailed crenellation and whitened roughcast rendered walls throughout.

Internally, the entrance leads to an outer hallway and then an inner hallway containing a contemporary dog-leg staircase with battered newels and splat balusters, some pierced. At the stair turn is the transomed and mullioned window with upper lights of stained glass depicting sailing ships and lower lights decorated with stained glass panes of fishes. A doorway provides access to the staircase leading to the roof, illuminated by tall narrow windows each bearing coloured glass with nautical inscriptions. Beneath the main staircase, a doorway leads to the basement below.

The principal ground-floor rooms face seawards, while service rooms are positioned to the rear. The principal rooms retain original fireplaces with brick surrounds and window seats in the octagonal towers. All rooms retain original panelled doors. The upstairs bathroom retains its original tiling and fixtures and fittings.