Survey Data
Reg No
50930115
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic
Original Use
House
In Use As
Office
Date
1815 - 1825
Coordinates
316601, 233064
Date Recorded
25/09/2015
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Attached two-bay four-storey over basement former townhouse, built c. 1820, now in use as offices. Shallow hipped roof, concealed by brick parapet with granite coping, pair of rendered chimneystacks to south party wall with yellow clay pots. Parapet gutters with cast-iron hopper and downpipe to south end. Buff brick walling laid in Flemish bond, over ruled-and-lined rendered walling to basement beneath granite plinth course. Square-headed window openings with brick voussoirs, patent reveals and masonry sills, concrete sill and granite surrounds to basement opening. Cast-iron balconettes to third, second and first floor window openings. Largely six-over-six early-nineteenth century sliding timber sash windows, three-over-three replacements to third floor with convex horns, one-over-one replacement to ground floor with ogee horns and uPVC casement to basement. Some Wyatt-style windows to rear (east). Round-headed door opening with brick voussoirs, moulded reveals and recessed rendered surround containing prostyle portico with fluted frieze and lead-lined cornice carried on Ionic columns over plinth stops, petal cast-iron fanlight and raised-and-field timber panelled door with replacement brass furniture. Granite entrance platform with cast-iron boot scraper, approached by seven granite steps flanked by iron railings with decorative cast-iron corner posts on granite plinth, enclosing basement to south-side. Masonry steps to basement well with plainly detailed square-headed door opening beneath entrance platform. Coal-hole cover to pavement. Street fronted on Fitzwilliam Square East. Recent brown brick piers flanking vehicular entrance to rear (east) on Lad Lane, abutted by rubble limestone wall having blocked square-headed door opening with brick surrounds.
Appraisal
An exceptionally narrow two-bay frontage, possibly originally intended as the entrance to a stable lane. Faced in buff Dolphin’s Barn brickwork Nos. 4-7 (50930115-8) are distinguished from the dominant red brick frontages, of the adjoin houses. Laid out in 1791 by the surveyors J & P Roe, Fitzwilliam Square was the last of the city’s Georgian squares to be completed. Development was staggered, progressing slowly until after the Napoleonic Wars, with the vast majority of houses on the eastern side of the square completed between 1816-22. Although largely homogenous in character and form, the subtle variations between terraces are indicative of the speculative nature of the Square’s development.