Grove House

Detached nine-bay two-storey house, c.1790, probably originally two separate houses retaining early fenestration with single-bay two-storey return to rear to north-east and five-bay two-storey parallel range along rear elevation to north-east. Renovated, c.1840, with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting open porch added to left ground floor. Extended, c.1930, comprising two-bay two-storey flat-roofed return to rear to north-east. Now in use as nursing home. Gable-ended roof with slate (hipped to return). Clay ridge tiles. Rendered chimney stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat-roof to porch behind blocking course. Materials not visible. Flat-roofed to additional return behind parapet wall. Materials not visible. Roughcast walls. Painted. Rendered walls to porch with concrete piers in antis. Painted. Rendered stringcourse with cut-stone coping over to blocking course. Rendered walls to additional return. Rendered coping to parapet wall. Square-headed window openings (paired to central bays; tripartite to bays to right (south-east); round-headed to return). Stone sills (concrete to additional return). 6/6 timber sash windows (1/1 sidelights to tripartite openings). Iron casement windows to additional return. Square-headed opening to porch. Segmental-headed door opening. Timber doorcase. Timber panelled door. Sidelights. Decorative fanlight. Set back from road in grounds shared with Mooreabbey House. Tarmacadam drive along front (south-west) elevation.

Grove House, which is an integral component of the Mooreabbey estate, is an attractive extensive house that has been well-maintained to present an early aspect. Possibly originally two separate houses, the front (south-west) elevation is composed of openings of various forms, including single, paired and tripartite window openings - the irregular displacement of the openings results in an unusual visual effect that distinguishes the house in the locality. The house retains may early features and materials, including multi-pane timber sash fenestration having crown and cylinder glass, while the iron casement windows to the additional return are, in turn, rare survivals. The house is without extraneous detailing and the door opening with decorative sidelights and fanlight is the only obvious concession to decorative incident. The retention of an early external aspect suggests that the house may retain early or original features and fittings of significance to the interior.