Sunshine House

Sunshine House

Sunshine House is a Gothic-revival style house of 2 storeys and an attic, constructed of random, hammer-dressed limestone under an asbestos slate roof with wide boarded eaves. The main block is 7 bays with an asymmetrical 2-span roof, and has an L-shaped service wing of 2 storeys butting against the north-east angle. A single masonry stack partially survives towards the west end, set within the roof valley. A string course runs across the elevation at first floor level.

The symmetrical garden front faces south and features a 2+3+2 window arrangement. At ground floor level, all openings are recessed with chamfered surrounds and segmental heads containing PVCu glazing. The central feature is a glazed door with overlight under a segmental arched head with corbels at shoulder height, flanked by pairs of windows. A 20th-century porch canopy with hipped asbestos slate roof and steel columns covers this central section.

Above the ground floor, a corbel table forms the string course, obscured at its centre by the porch. Beyond this runs a long panel incorporating a raised central lancet under a segmental head, now infilled with concrete. The first floor windows are set in tall recessed panels with trefoiled heads and segmental window heads. A central attic dormer with raised coping contains two small lights in recessed panels matching the style below, with a recessed cross in the apex.

The east entrance front faces the road with all openings offset to the right. A gabled porch in Bath stone features a pointed arch with trefoiled overlight and a cinquefoiled recessed opening above. A 20th-century flat-roofed half-lit projection with doors on the south and north sides projects below. The porch is flanked by single-light wooden windows with segmental heads in recessed panels. Above the corbel table are three tall recessed panels with trefoiled heads containing windows to the first and attic storeys, with a small square-headed light at attic level to the right.

The 4-bay service wing continues north and projects forward. Its ground floor contains 12-pane horned sashes with segmental heads and sandstone chamfered sills, while the first floor has shorter 2-light casement windows with overlights in the same openings. A further window opens onto the south wall of the projection. To the north, the walling continues briefly as a boundary wall and terminates in a pier with pyramidal coping, one of a pair flanking wooden gates.

The rear and west gable ends are rendered and contain asymmetrically-placed PVCu windows with flat heads. Each west gable has a square boarded opening, asymmetrically positioned. The west side of the service wing has a flat-roofed porch with half-lit door and window, with a similar door above (probably a former fire escape) reached by concrete steps. A later inserted door stands to the right at ground level. The north side of the service wing has a 20th-century half-lit door to the right, flanked by a small light to the right and a 12-pane horned sash to the left, with two small windows to the upper storey.

The interior plan-form has been substantially altered. The central entrance hall contains the staircase with flanking reception rooms; further reception rooms occupy the rear wing. Good coving with billet detail is notable throughout.