Western Pavilion
Western Pavilion
Although it stands a few yards outside the Society's "area" this most unusual property is an interesting one having been designed by the architect Amon Henry Wilds for himself in 1831. It might even be considered to be a miniature version of the most exotic building in Britain - the Prince Regent's Brighton Pavilion.
Situated in the grandly named Western Terrace, in reality a rather short cul-de-sac just ten yards from the busy shops of Western Road, the bow windows of Wilds's pavilion look across the street to a beautifully restored ice-white stucco terrace of five houses dressed up to look like one grand house, with extra flourishes in the centre and ends. This too can be attributed to Wilds - the pillars have the "ammonite" capitals he used elsewhere with tops like two sunflowers.
The pavilion has its own diminutive black cast-iron railings with a crest of stylised baby dolphins and spiky suns. Inside, it boasts a series of oval rooms, three of which have unusual tent-shaped ceilings. It has an oval dining room and a bow-fronted kitchen. There is an elegantly proportioned oval bedroom on the first floor. Beside the door, a spiral stair, the tightest of fits, leads up to an igloo-shaped bathroom inside the dome.