Beaver Grove House

Beaver Grove House is an elegant Regency villa built in the early 19th century. It has a rectangular plan and stands two stories tall, constructed of whitened rubble that was originally stuccoed, topped with a graded hipped slate roof. The villa features paired central chimneys with simple cornices, each adorned with six Victorian octagonal chimney-pots.

The symmetrical three-bay front faces west and includes a central entrance accessed through a single-storey Victorian enclosed porch. This porch is made of slatestone ashlar on a chamfered plinth and features a moulded cornice with a flat lead roof. The entrance has a chamfered design with original 12-panel double doors, and plain chamfered windows on either side. Flanking the porch are elegant 12-pane sash windows set in arched recesses, complete with dressed voussoirs, archrings, and projecting keystones. The first floor has 9-pane sashes, which are complemented by decorative later 19th-century blind boxes and a plain cill band.

The rear facade, facing east, has a central entrance with an original 6-panel door featuring raised panels and a 2-pane rectangular overlight. This is flanked by 12-pane sash windows, with another 12-pane sash above the door and additional 9-pane sashes on the first floor. The side elevations are two bays wide, with a single-storey 20th-century canted bay on the north side, featuring a slated roof. On the south side, there is a modern single-bay extension that is recessed at the front and flush at the rear, designed to match the primary block’s openings and detailing.

Inside, the small entrance hall has an arched niche flanking open entrances, which are framed by plain moulded architraves and topped with segmental glazed fans. The half well stair features a swept mahogany rail and stick balusters, leading to a long returned first-floor gallery with a simply-moulded string. The ceiling has a plasterwork rosette and a palmette frieze. The stair includes a service balustrade and a gate to the first floor at the rear, which appears to be contemporary. Throughout the house, there are 6-panelled doors and simple original architraves. In the former kitchen, the original wrought iron hanging hooks are still retained in the ceiling.