17, Portland Street

ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA

SP3165NE PORTLAND STREET 1208-1/7/316 (East side) 25/03/70 No.17

GV II

Former Wesleyan Chapel, then (1870) school, now warehouse. c1825-1834 with later additions and alterations. Designed by William Thomas, built by John Toone, for Revd J Entwistle Jr. Reddish-brown brick with painted stucco front facade, rubbed red brick dressings to side facade, Welsh slate roof. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, 3 bays with narrow, lower, single-bay ranges to sides. Main range, giant Tuscan pilasters clasp angles. First floor: central projection; stepped first-floor band surmounted by similar pilasters to angles of projections; central arcade of 3 round-arched long windows each with 8-pane sashes and Gothic glazing to heads, on continuous moulded sill with Tuscan pilasters between and with tooled archivolts; to outer bays are similar single windows in tooled architraves and with moulded sills on anthemion feet. Entablature above has frieze with 4 bay-leaf wreaths, blocking course and upshot sloping to sides. Ground floor: wide central entrance in cavetto-moulded surround with C20 garage doors; side entrances: 2 steps to 10-fielded-panel doors in plain reveals, architraves with acanthus consoles supporting cornice and surmounted by flat, raised 'pediments'. To side ranges, alike: tall, narrow 16-pane round-arched windows with Gothic glazing to heads in plain reveals with sills, frieze, cornice and blocking course, copings. Returns, first floor has 8/8 sash then four 12/12 sashes with cambered arches of red rubbed brick; ground floor has round-arched windows with glazing-bars, now partly boarded in. To rear gable an oculus. To rear extension a similar arcade of three long, narrow 18-pane windows with radial glazing to heads, pediment. INTERIOR: cast-iron columns remain to ground floor. Dado remains to first floor; king post roof with hammer posts and collar beams, 6 sets of roof timbers. HISTORICAL NOTE: Portland Street was laid out 1823-1824. (Cave LF: Royal Leamington Spa Its History and Development: Chichester: 1988-: 39, 57, 164).

Listing NGR: SP3156965937