81 Ninian Road

80–81 and 81a Ninian Road

A reflected pair of 2½-storey, 2-bay houses in the freestyle inspired by Norman Shaw's Old English style. They are constructed of brick with Bath stone dressings (painted at No 81) and slate roof (renewed at No 80), with panelled brick stacks positioned to the sides and rear.

The entrances are located in the narrower inner bays. Projecting porches feature rusticated elliptical arches with moulded imposts, topped by elliptical keyed oculi. Inside the porches are decorative tiles to the dado, half-glazed fielded panel doors (with stained glass at No 80), and side and overlights. Above each porch is a balcony behind a swan-necked pediment (removed at No 81) set against a brick parapet. The balconies contain replaced windows.

The wider outer bays display intermittent stone quoins in notional rustication. Two-storey canted bays contain 3-light mullioned and transomed windows, with coloured glass above the transoms in the lower storey. The upper storey has small-pane upper sashes with elliptical arches to the meeting rails and single-pane lower sashes. A broad rock-faced sandstone band runs between the storeys, wrapping around the angles. The canted bays support projecting gables braced by pairs of ornate diagonal wooden brackets on corbels. The gables are tile-hung with bands of fish-scale tiles, projecting further forward on curved brackets above oriel windows. The oriel windows have paired sashes with elliptical arches to the meeting rails, featuring small-panes to the upper sash and single panes below.

The right side, facing Morlais Street, incorporates a separate dwelling (No 81a). This elevation has an external brick stack on the left side, terminating the sandstone band at the angle, and tile hanging beneath the eaves. To the right is a canted bay window, partially cut down to form a doorway. Above it are two windows under flat arches in the upper storey and a raked dormer, all with replaced glazing in original openings. Further right are two segmental-headed 4-pane sash windows, above which sits an oriel with replaced windows. A crenellated wall to the right conceals a lean-to roof behind.

The left side wall (No 80) is similar, with an external stack. To the right of the stack, the wall is rock-faced stone; to the left, it is roughcast. Both houses have 2-storey rear lean-tos with roughcast walls, brick dressings, and replaced windows.