Survey Data

Reg No

50930096


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Architectural, Artistic


Original Use

House


In Use As

Office


Date

1820 - 1840


Coordinates

316672, 233189


Date Recorded

25/09/2015


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Terraced two-bay four-storey over basement former townhouse, built c. 1830, with two-stage return to rear (east). Now in use as offices. M-profiled roof concealed by brick parapet with granite coping. Shouldered brick chimneystacks to north party wall with lipped yellow clay pots. Parapet gutters. Brown brick walling laid in Flemish bond, rusticated ashlar granite walling to ground floor with granite plinth course over painted tooled ashlar limestone walling to basement. Square-headed window openings with brick voussoirs, rendered reveals and masonry sills; granite surrounds to basement opening and rusticated granite to ground floor. Largely replacement six-over-six timber sliding sash windows with convex horns, three-over-three to third floor, eight-over-eight to basement and one-over-one to ground floor with ogee horns. Decorative cast-iron balconettes to first, second and third floor openings, steel grille to basement. Round-headed door opening with moulded reveals and recessed surround containing a panelled frieze with garlands and moulded cornice carried on half-fluted Doric columns over plinth stops, with spoked fanlight and raised-and-field timber panelled door with beaded-muntin and painted brass furniture. Shared granite entrance platform approached by three granite steps, flanked by iron railings to north with decorative arrow-headed finials on granite plinth, enclosing basement well. Coal-hole cover to pavement. Street fronted on eastern side of Fitzwilliam Street Upper. Modernised two-storey mews building to rear (east) plot with random squared limestone walls and red brick dressings. Segmental-headed carriage-arch to Lad Lane having brick voussoirs, coursed and squared limestone piers, brick coping and timber sheeted gates, abutted by squared limestone rubble wall to south, having square-headed pedestrian opening with red brick voussoirs over timber door.

Appraisal

A fine former townhouse, built by Benjamin Norwood as part a cohesive terrace Nos. 34-41 (50930099-5 & 156-8). It is distinguished from the other terraces on the street by the rusticated granite treatment across ground floor level. According to Casey (2005) the terrace retains noteworthy interiors, 'Inside, copious ovolo and guilloche ornament, Temple of the Winds columns to the room on the first stair return and Parthenon frieze overdoors.' It retains its traditional form and proportions, mellow brick which contrasts with the granite dressings, well executed ironwork, and a handsome Doric doorcase. The development of Fitzwilliam Street Upper began on the north-end of the western side during the early-nineteenth century. Although largely homogeneous in character and form, the subtle variations between the terraces are indicative of the speculative nature of development.