Gliffaes

Gliffaes is a large Italianate style house comprising a central range with cross-wings at the east and west ends, the western cross-wing considerably extended to provide service rooms. Both cross-wings have tall campanili attached, and a porte cochere stands at the north end of the east wing. The building is two storeys high, constructed of snecked rubble sandstone with a pantile roof featuring overhanging eaves and ribbed brick ridge stacks on stone bases.

The entrance front faces north and is comparatively modest. The cross-wing to the left has a concrete porte cochere of three bays with round arches above a balustrade, octagonal piers, and crocket capitals. The returns have wider elliptical arches. Inside the porte cochere is a doorway to the right in a moulded surround with a plain overlight. Double panelled doors have raised fields, the lower panels lozenge-shaped and the upper with ogee heads. To the left is a one-light casement with patterned stained glass. Above the porte cochere are a pair of round-headed sash windows. The central range displays three bays with sash windows, the lower storey having a centrally-placed bow window with three sashes and a moulded parapet.

The east garden front features a campanile offset to the left of the cross-wing, which itself has an advanced cross-gable offset to the right. The cross-gable has a plat band continuous with the wall to the right and three stepped round-headed windows in the upper storey, the leftmost window lowered to form a doorway with a balcony consisting of a stone slab on brackets with railings. To the right of the cross-gable are sash windows, and both sides of the campanile have added 20th-century lean-tos. The campanile comprises five stages. The lower stage has a round-headed sash window with a mosaic coat of arms above. The second stage has a pair of round-headed sash windows with a white-brick impost band continuing around the side walls, which have a single round-headed window. The middle stage has a two-light geometrical window in plate tracery under a segmental arch, the central colonette featuring a trumpet capital with waterleaf moulding. Above the window is a band of red brick and small stair lights in the side walls and front defining the fourth stage. The bell stage is of brick and rises above a corbel table. Each face has two two-light openings with a central colonette and moulded capital, round-headed lights and moulded imposts, all under a segmental arch and with a continuous stone impost band. Above the openings is a cornice incorporating a sawtooth frieze and a pyramidal roof with projecting eaves.

The south terrace front consists of a four-bay central range with sash windows and a large added conservatory spanning the full width between the cross-wings and obscuring a plat band. The cross-wings have doorways flanked by windows in each storey. The doors have full-height glazing and a plain overlight. In the upper storey the doorways lead to balconies consisting of large stone slabs carried on moulded brackets with scrolled iron railings.

The west garden front has a one-storey gabled projection to the right added in the late 20th century, to the left of which stands a four-stage campanile. In the lower stage is a round-headed sash window, above which is a glazed door with round-headed overlight and a balcony similar to that on the terrace front. A white-brick impost band continues to the south side where there is a single round-headed window. Above this are white and red brick bands and small stair lights with sills defining the tall third stage below the belfry. The bell stage rises above a deep corbel table and is of red brick. Each face has a three-light opening with colonettes, round-headed lights and trefoil tracery lights, with a clock face in front, all under a segmental arch. A pyramidal roof has projecting eaves over a cornice incorporating a sawtooth frieze.

To the left of the campanile is the service wing, a continuation of the west cross-wing. This has advanced two-window cross-gables to the left and right with attics, and three windows with a basement between. Further left is a lower five-window range of two storeys with a basement. The east side of the service wing, facing the main entrance, has three sash windows to the left under a gablet with a two-light attic window, a two-window advanced cross-gable with attic windows, and two windows further right, the upper storey windows under gablets and forming a two-span roof. All windows are plain sashes.

The entrance hall contains an open-well stair with square newels with enriched orb caps, barley-twist balusters, panelled strings and a plainer panelled dado. The main room to the north in the central range has panelled shutters in the bow window, plain panelling around the walls and a plaster ceiling incorporating vine trails. A large fireplace has Ionic columns and brackets supporting an entablature, above which is a raked panelled hood. The main room to the south in the central range has an enriched ceiling and cornice, a panelled dado with shallow round-headed recesses to the end walls. The fireplace has a wood surround with egg and dart moulding and a large panel above designed for a mirror, now replaced by an oil painting, above which are brackets and a broken pediment. The large room in the east wing has a fireplace with a Tudor arch and a large panelled surround incorporating a mirror and wreath.