St Joseph'S Convent South East Building

STAFFORD

SJ9222NE LICHFIELD ROAD 590-1/12/59 (South West side) 16/01/51 St Joseph's Convent south-east building (Formerly Listed as: LICHFIELD ROAD St Joseph's Convent)

GV II

Formerly known as: Forebridge Villa LICHFIELD ROAD. House, now convent. c1810 with later additions. Regency style. MATERIALS: stucco with ashlar dressings; hipped slate roof with stucco stacks. PLAN: double-depth, central staircase plan. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical 5-window range. Wide eaves with scrolled brackets. 2-storey porch has portico with paired baseless columns, frieze with scrolled relief carving and cross to pediment, front steps have flanking scrolled prjections; round-headed entrance has architrave and fanlight over door with 2 tall round-headed panels; stained glass return windows. Windows have sills, those to ground floor have 16-pane sashes, those to 1st floor with 4/8-pane sashes but central window has simple architrave and small-paned casement. 3-window left return has recessed centre with canted angles and entrance with consoled cornice and rich cresting; similar cornices and cresting to flanking ground floor windows, central 1st floor window has balcony with Greek key; casements. Right return has rectangular oriel raised above eaves on enriched brackets, with wide bracketed eaves and C20 casements. Rear has single-storey wing, and later 3-storey wing with cast-iron verandah with Tudor arches and quatrefoils; late C20 lift shaft with pyramidal roof. INTERIOR has rich Greek detail: cornices and doorcases with architraves, enriched friezes and consoled cornices; full-height hall has balcony with balustrading and skylight, stair to rear has iron anthemion balusters and window with painted glass roundel; entrance hall has contemporary painted glass with arms of original owner. HISTORY: the house was taken over by the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny in 1907. (Victoria County History of Staffordshire: Greenslade MW: A History of Stafford (taken from VCH): London: 1979-: 251; Victoria County History of Staffordshire: Greenslade MW: A History of Stafford (VCH): London: 1979-: 251).

Listing NGR: SJ9264022694