Survey Data

Reg No

50930152


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Architectural, Artistic


Original Use

House


In Use As

Office


Date

1835 - 1845


Coordinates

316456, 232795


Date Recorded

28/08/2015


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Attached three-bay four-storey over basement former townhouse, built c. 1840, as a pair with Nos. 23 (50930151). Two-storey over basement return to rear (east) elevation. Now in office use. M-profiled roof, with hipped sections, concealed by parapet with ashlar granite eaves, moulded granite cornice and blocking course. Shouldered brick chimneystacks to north party wall, rendered to south with replacement clay pots to south and lipped octagonal pots to north. Parapet gutters with cast-iron hopper and replacement downpipe breaking through to rear (east). Red brick walling laid in Flemish bond, horizontally-channelled ashlar granite strip-quoins to north side with matching granite walling to ground floor; rendered walls to basement beneath granite stringcourse. Brown brick walling to rear (east) elevation with rendered walling to southern bay. Square-headed window openings with brick voussoirs, rendered reveals and masonry sills; raised granite surrounds to basement opening. Decorative cast-iron balconettes to first floor openings, cast-iron guard rails to second and third floors, and cast-iron grille affixed to basement sills. Largely six-over-six replacement timber sliding sash windows with ogee horns (diminishing in height), one-over-one to third floor and basement (bipartite opening to basement). Round-headed opening to centre of rear (east) elevation; some Wyatt-style windows to north bay. Central round-headed door opening with recessed surround, having nail-head panelled frieze and moulded cornice supported on Scamozzian-Ionic columns over plinth stops, having petal fanlight and timber panelled door with beaded-muntin. Granite entrance platform with cast-iron boot scrapers, approached by four bull-nosed granite steps and flanked by cast-iron railings with decorative finials over granite plinth, enclosing basement well to north and south. Replacement mild-steel steps to basement with plainly detailed replacement door beneath entrance platform. Coal-hole cover to pavement. Derelict two-storey mews building to rear plot, having pitched slate roof, rendered walls (exposed gable clad in artificial slates). Mews building concealed behind boundary rendered wall fronting Wilton Terrace, pierced by vehicular opening with steel roller-shutter, flanked by over-sized panelled piers with moulded rendered cornices and capstones.

Appraisal

A fine pair of townhouses, Nos. 23-4 are characterised by grand proportions and Scamozzian-Ionic doorcases, although with three bays this is the larger of the pair. Developed in conjunction with the east and south sides of Fitzwilliam Square, the eastern side of Fitzwilliam Place was completed by 1836, with the exception of five houses to the south-end, including this pair, which were built c. 1840. Although the street is largely homogeneous in character, the variations in detailing, proportions and scale are indicative of the speculative nature of development. Although in a poor state of repair, the original mews building, piers and eastern boundary wall are features which add to its setting and context.