Berth

Berth

A moderate-sized country house of three and two storeys, built on an irregular F-plan. It comprises an L-shaped primary section constructed in limestone rubble with sandstone dressings, and an L-shaped brick addition with limestone rubble facing applied to its principal garden facade. The roof is hipped slate, with the additional section partly featuring a flat roof, simple brick chimneys, and two solar panels to the front central roof pitch.

The asymmetrical garden facade faces south-west and extends across seven bays. The three right-hand bays form the primary three-storey house, with the first two recessed and the rightmost bay projecting as an advanced wing. The remaining four bays comprise later additions to the left, including a two-storey flat-roofed section. Windows throughout have plain flat-arched lintels and projecting stone sills with unhorned, recessed sashes. The primary windows include tall 20-pane sashes to the ground floor of the right bay, 12-pane sashes to the first floor (including one on the inner return of the right bay), and an 8-pane window above. The recessed central section has 12-pane and 6-pane sashes to its second floor. A single-storey slated entrance bay projects between the flanking wings, with a 3-panel double doors entrance to the right and two 12-pane sashes to the left; this entrance group is now enclosed by a modern uPVC conservatory addition.

The projecting wing to the left has paired 15-pane sashes to the ground floor, with 12-pane sashes to the first floor and 6-pane sashes to the second floor, the latter also featuring windows on its returns. The recessed flat-roofed section to the far left contains a 10-pane glazed garden door approached by three steps, a narrow 8-pane window to its right, and a 12-pane window to its left, with further 12-pane and 8-pane sashes to the first floor.

The south-east side displays two full-height 20-pane sashes to the ground floor and three 16-pane sashes to the first floor (the central one blind), with 8-pane sashes to the upper floor (the central one similarly blind). The north-west side is entirely brick, though limestone rubble facing from the garden front extends onto it for a short distance.

The rear north-east facade shows 12-pane and 6-pane sashes to the upper floors of the primary section on the left, with cambered heads and rough-dressed limestone voussoirs. Nineteenth and twentieth-century slated lean-to additions extend across the ground floor; the left section has a tall brick boiler chimney, while the right section dates from the 1930s and comprises painted brick with steel-framed casements. A single-storey projection to the right has steps leading up to the rear entrance.

Internally, the house features Regency-type reeded architraves to doorways, the outer ones narrow and placed on semi-circular blocks, with inner ones decorated with blind quatrefoil ornament. Some rooms retain six-panel doors. A full-height well stair rises to the second floor with stick balusters, scrolled tread-ends, and a swept mahogany handrail. The 1930s section and most upper floor rooms are fitted with parquet floors and contemporary horizontally-panelled doors.

Traces of early 19th-century painted decoration were visible at the time of survey on one wall of the former drawing room in the front right section, consisting of a plain field colour with a broad painted border featuring foliated corner decoration in imitation of textile-hung walls.