Numbers 19-57 And Attached Railings

Numbers 19–57 (odd) Lansdowne Crescent and Attached Railings, Royal Leamington Spa

Terrace of 20 houses, now converted to houses and flats, with attached cast-iron railings. The crescent was laid out by 1834 and built by 1838, with later additions and alterations including mid-20th century roof dormers added to most houses. The architect was William Thomas (1789–1860).

The buildings are constructed of reddish-brown brick with painted stucco to the front and side facades, with a Welsh slate roof and cast-iron railings and verandahs.

Exterior

The terrace rises to three storeys with attics and basements. The principal facade has 42 first-floor windows, with two to each house except No.57, which has four. The end four-window ranges and central six-window ranges project forwards. The ground floor displays horizontal rustication.

The end projections feature Doric pilasters to their angles and between the windows, with a pair of pilasters flanking the centre windows. The central projection has fluted Corinthian pilasters arranged similarly.

The first floor has tall windows: the first two are 1/1 sashes; the next ten are 1/1 sashes with margin-lights; followed by 6/6 sashes. All are set in plain reveals with a sill, tooled architrave and frieze. Windows to the projections have cornices; those to the ranges between have pediments.

The second floor contains 3/6 sashes, except windows 5 through 12, which are 1/1 sashes with margin-lights, all in plain reveals with tooled architraves. Numbers 43, 51 and 53 have blind boxes to the first and second floors. The frieze, cornice and blocking course are missing to part of the elevation.

At ground level, entrances are reached by 4 or 5 roll-edged steps to 3-panel doors, some part-glazed and some with a central roundel for the knocker. Most overlights contain glazing bars with margin-lights; some feature stained glass. The entrance to No.43 has a blind box. Windows on this floor comprise two 1/1 sashes and a tall tripartite window with a 6/9 sash between 2/3 sashes; then four tall, wide 1/1 sashes with margin-lights; the remainder are tall tripartite windows with 6/9 sashes between 2/3 sashes, all with banded reveals.

The basement storey has some 4/8, 3/6 and 2/4 sashes, otherwise casements and glazed doors.

Tall stacks with cornices rise above the left side of each house. Boot scrapers are present at Numbers 47 and 51. Continuous ground-floor verandahs extend to each projection and to the ranges between, decorated with Greek key motifs to the uprights and double-rod-and-anthemion motifs to the balustrade. A down-pipe with hopper is fitted to No.43. Lion and wreath door-knockers are fitted to many doors.

The left return has a tripartite window at ground floor with a 6/6 sash between 2/2 sashes; the first floor has 8/8 sashes. To the rear, windows comprise 2/2, 3/3, 3/6, 4/8, 6/6 and 8/8 sashes, with some staircase windows being 3/8 long, narrow sashes with margin-lights.

Interior

From the left: No.19 (now flats) has a dogleg staircase with stick balusters running from a mezzanine to the first and second floors, with 4-panel doors. No.21 has a similar staircase but rising from the ground floor with a wreathed handrail; marble fireplaces; and deep cornices with fleurons to the hall and egg-and-dart and grape decoration to the drawing room and other rooms. No.23 has a staircase with turned balusters and newel post. No.29 has similar turned balusters and newel; the ground floor dining room has a grape frieze and cornice; a modillion cornice decorates the entrance hall. No.31 has a dogleg staircase with stick balusters, 4-panel doors, and a modillion cornice to the hall. No.41 has a moulded cornice to the hall and a similar staircase rising the full height with a wreathed handrail; it is said to retain carved pediments above 4-panel doors and moulded cornices. No.43 has a similar full-height staircase with wreathed handrail, moulded cornices, egg-and-dart decoration with grapes to the first-floor drawing room, marble fireplaces and ceiling roses. No.45 has a similar staircase, a moulded cornice with egg-and-dart and grapes to the ground floor (and said also to the first floor), and painted-in shutters. No.51 has a similar staircase with wreathed handrail, marble fireplaces, moulded cornices and centre roses to the ground floor; the ground floor contains double doors with 6-panel doors and a tooled architrave between the front and rear rooms. No.53 is said to retain a similar staircase and cornices. No.55 has a similar staircase with wreathed handrail, moulded ceilings and 4-panel doors. The interiors of the remaining houses have not been inspected.

Subsidiary Features

Area railings and railings to the sides of steps throughout have fleur-de-lys finials.

Historical Note

The American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine, both lived at No.43. A map of 1834 shows Lansdowne Crescent and Circus laid out as 'intended building'.

The terrace forms an architectural group with Victoria House on Lansdowne Crescent and Numbers 1–17 (consecutive) on Lansdowne Circus, all by William Thomas, as well as Numbers 5–15 (odd) Willes Road.