The Albany

The Albany is a villa, dating from approximately 1820 to 1830, and subsequently altered. It is now used as doctors' surgeries and is located on Albany Terrace in Worcester. The building is constructed of painted stucco over brick, with a hipped slate roof. A brick stack with oversailing courses is present at the west end of the main house, while a pair of ornate internal stucco stacks, designed as stylised crocuses, are located at the east end. A tall brick stack is situated at the rear range.

The building has a triple-depth plan with a central hallway and a later 19th-century single-storey brick service range to the north. The front (east) facade is two storeys high with three first-floor windows. Stucco detailing includes a plinth, full-height clasping pilasters with incised Greek key decoration and incised stylised anthemion to the splay capitals, horizontal rustication to the ground and first floors, a deep frieze with an incised Greek key motif, and a moulded cornice. The first floor has six-over-six sash windows, while the ground floor features four-over-four sash windows with margin glazing within raised architraves with a dentil frieze and pediment with acroteria. A distyle porch with fluted columns supporting Egyptian-style capitals and engaged Doric pilasters, a Doric entablature, and a blocking course provides the central entrance. There are renewed steps leading to a part-glazed door with margin lights in splay-eared architraves with moulded leaf and dart decoration.

The garden (south) facade is also two storeys high, with four first-floor windows arranged in a 1:2:1 configuration, featuring projecting end bays. The detailing is similar to the front facade and includes pilasters and horizontal rustication. The first floor has six-over-six sashes. The ground floor has outer tripartite windows, with four-over-four sashes with margin lights flanked by two-over-two sashes, and fluted three-quarter columns with Egyptian-type capitals and end Doric pilasters surmounted by a frieze with fleurons (some missing) and a pediment with an anthemion, acroteria, and a central wreath. A rectangular bay with a tripartite window featuring two-over-two and one-over-one sashes, plus return two-over-two sashes, is situated centrally. All windows are horned. Visible shutter hinges remain in situ. A dentil cornice with fleurons is complemented by a low parapet with copings. The rear elevation includes six-over-six sashes with a flat arch above.

Internally, the building retains original features, including marble Regency fireplaces on the ground floor, a narrow open-well staircase with stick balusters and a wreathed mahogany handrail, single-panel doors with Greek-key motifs and Egyptian-style architraves, deep skirting with fleurons, and panelled shutters. Embellished cornices are found throughout the ground floor, with the main room’s cornice displaying acanthus leaf, grape, and scroll decoration. A plaster centre-piece adorns the ceiling. Albany Terrace is located at the north side of Britannia Square and is part of Worcester's significant Regency development, representing a distinguished example of villa architecture with unusually eclectic detailing.