Nos. 254-256 Eastgate

Nos. 254-256 Eastgate

A pair of semi-detached villas dating to the 1820s, with minor alterations of the 20th century.

The buildings are constructed of red brick generally laid in an English bond variant, with stucco details and Welsh slate covering to the roofs.

The plan is symmetrical with a porch at each side elevation and a piano nobile arrangement, with polite rooms on the ground and first floors, and the kitchen and service range in the basement.

Both villas have two storeys and a basement, sharing a hipped roof with oversailing bracketed eaves and a central stack, with an additional stack at the rear to each property. The north elevation has pilasters midway and at each end, with stucco bands at the ground and first floor. Pairs of hornless sash windows with glazing bars are positioned at each floor: ten-over-ten small lights at the basement; six-over-nine at the ground floor; and six-over-six at the first floor. The ground and first floor windows have carved stucco lintels with keystones.

Greek Doric porches are located at the return elevations of both villas, featuring fluted columns and pilasters with triglyph and guttae details to the hood. The porches are raised above the entrance to the basement and are approached by stone steps from the side with a delicate iron balustrade, ending in a curtail stop. Decorative iron panels to the side and rear enclose the porch. To the left of the porch of no. 256 there are inserted 20th-century windows at the basement and ground floor. Stone steps beneath the porch lead to a 20th-century external entrance to the service basement.

The villas share a gablet at the rear elevation, which accommodates the entrance to the butlers' pantries from the rear garden and a single six-over-six sash window above. To the right at the ground floor is a tall six-over-six light window, with a smaller window at first floor. All the windows are early 19th-century.

At the rear of the garden of no. 256 are former stables and a coach house which have been much altered.

The interior of no. 256 was inspected. The partly glazed, timber-panelled principal entrance doorway leads to the hall, where wide floorboards are exposed. The north-facing room retains a deeply moulded cornice, deep skirting boards and a late 19th-century fireplace. The south-facing garden room is now a kitchen, but retains its early 19th-century fireplace. To the rear is the former pantry with a flagstone floor set into which is the cast-iron covering to the coal drop into the cellar below. Replaced stairs lead down to the basement where a bressumer over the former position of the range is in situ. To its south is a pantry and to the rear (east) is the cellar, where coal and other items were once stored, and which in 2013 contained a shower room. The room on the north side has a simple early 19th-century fireplace and a cupboard with a concealed sink. The position of vertical shutters for the basement windows is apparent.

The early 19th-century main stairs are in an open well arrangement with a hardwood handrail, elegant stick balusters ending in a curtail stop at the base and open strings. Originally lit by a skylight in the roof, this has been ceiled over. Many of the bedroom partitions remain but a bathroom has been created at the east side and the rear dressing room of no. 256 has been incorporated into no. 254. The rear bedroom has a cast-iron fireplace and some original plaster remains on the walls of the bedroom on the north side of the house. The doors are late 19th-century in date.