The Elms is a Victorian villa designed in Florentine Renaissance revival style, originally built for the son of the local entrepreneur, Potto Brown, in 1868. Potto Brown ran the local Houghton Mill, amongst other family business interests and built a local school and chapel in the village.
Significantly altered and extended in the post-war period, The Elms has more recently been used as offices by the healthcare research company Intervet, with additional laboratories and a “Coach House” built in the grounds.
The grounds have matured well over the years and are particularly striking with many of the original trees from Victorian times remaining. These include a significant proportion of Conifer trees including Wellingtonia, Spruce, Silver Fir and Cedars along with deciduous species of Horse Chestnut, Oak, Copper Beech, Plane, Lime, Ash and Elm.