Late C19th building relatively tall and narrow, same build as No 51 on its southern side and No. 53 on its northern side and it shares several architectural details with these two, including similar gabled dormers, continuous string courses and shared roof structure, but it is slightly wider than them both. No’s 51-55 form a terrace of 6 houses which are all of a similar size and share a number of architectural details. It also shares a number of comparable architectural details with No’s 47-48 to the south, suggesting that they are contemporary. The ground floor is modern and has been heavily inserted for a commercial use. There is a central doorway set within a slight recessed porch area, with large windows on either side of it and above. The window and door surrounds and frames are metallic though the door itself seems to be timber with large glazed panels. There is a large commercial fascia above the window and door, this protrudes slightly from the façade and is also modern. The upper levels of the building are in a painted (cream) brick, the same as the buildings on either side of it. At the first-floor level there is a large centrally placed bay window, the base of which rests on the protruding fascia below. It is split into multiple panes and has a domed metallic roof and rounded sides. There are two small string courses, relatively closely spaced, located just above the roof of the bay window. At the second-floor level there is another large centrally placed window, this is not a bay but is divided into three segments by plaster mullions. The string course which continues onto the buildings on either side of this one forms a continuous sill for the second-floor window. It protrudes slightly where it rests below the window and there are four small plaster brackets beneath it. There is a decorative triangular pediment over the central part of the second-floor window, the base of which (and the top of the window) aligns with a further small string course, this one does not continue onto the neighbouring buildings. At the top of the second floor, directly below the gabled dormer, is a balustrade which forms a slight parapet at the roof level and which appears to be purely decorative. Over both the party walls are decorative plaster (?) pilasters which run from the top of the ground floor to the roof level. There is a lot of intricate detailing on these including two Corinthian style capitals located beneath a string course, moulded grotesque style faces and triangular pediments at their top. There are two dormer windows divided by pilasters located within a large Dutch style gable surround, with a slight parapet with coping, and a semi-circular pediment over. There are some untidy bird repelling features located across the façade and some security system wiring. The plaster detailing is weathered and cracked in places, but this is only slight, though there is a large crack within the surround of the dormer window. There is vegetation growth particularly at the upper levels and around the dormer. Despite this the building appears to be structurally sound and in a good condition.

The ground floor openings are modern. There is a large central double doorway set within a slight recessed porch area. The door is painted (white) timber and each has a single, large, glazed panel. There are large square windows on either side of the door, as well as in the return towards the door in the porch area. There is also a long thin window located above these and over the door, aligning with the top of the door. All the ground floor window frames are metallic and appear to be fixed. The base of the central first-floor bay window rests on the protruding fascia of the ground floor, it is divided into four vertical segments separated by timber mullions and each of the segments are divided into multiple parts. The outer two of the four parts of the window are rounded. The upper most part of each of the segments consists of small rectangular stained-glass panes, all of which appear to be fixed. The lower and larger parts of each of the four segments are simple two pane timber sashes. The second-floor window is divided into three parts by plaster mullions, the central part being approximately double the width of the outer two. All three are two pane timber framed sashes. The dormer window is divided into two sash windows by plaster mullions, there are in turn divided into four panes each (two in the upper part and two in the lower) by timber glazing bars. All the timber frames are painted white. Some of the paintwork on the frames and surrounds is dirty otherwise the windows appear to be in a good condition and may be original, though this is not certain. The bay window at the first-floor level is particularly nice, and it is possible that the buildings on either side (51 and 53) may have originally had windows similar to this ornate example.

The roof is mansard and in slate – the slates are rounded on the bottom end (suggesting they are machine cut?). There is a large dormer with an elaborate surround (discussed above). The roof structure is shared with No 51 and 53. There are brick stacks over each of the party walls which are presumably shared with the neighbours. Though only a small portion of the roof was seen, it appears to be in a good condition. (1)

<1> Kent County Council, 2019, Historic building condition asseesment and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre (Unpublished document). SKE52120.