The Homestead

The Homestead is a detached house built between 1835 and 1845, with later additions and alterations, located on Lansdowne Crescent in Worcester.

The building comprises three parallel ranges aligned approximately north to south, with a transverse wing to the north, creating an E-shaped plan. It is constructed of brick covered with painted stucco, with hipped slate roofs. The ranges rise to two and part three storeys with a cellar. Stucco end stacks with cornices appear on the west range, whilst the east range has a similar stack plus further stacks with ornamental caps. Timber brackets project to the eaves. A lead-roofed verandah with timber posts and wrought-iron supports, a lead-roofed bay window with decorative timber eaves detail, and a timber and glass conservatory on a stucco-over-brick base complete the external features.

The principal (south) elevation presents an asymmetric composition of three bays. The central bay is apsidal in form with three sides, whilst the bay to the right breaks forward and has a higher eaves line. The stucco is incised to represent ashlar, with details including a plinth, eases band (plain to left and centre, moulded to right bay), and a moulded door architrave with shell motif to the tympanum. Wide eaves feature simple rectangular paired brackets.

The central entrance has a four-panel door with upper glazed panes displaying semi-circular heads and lower raised and fielded panels with bolection moulding. A tented verandah over the door extends to the left return, supported on two large square posts with stopped chamfers and three slender lattice-work frames with small rosettes to each joint; the verandah features scalloped and pierced eaves detail. A tented roof canted bay to the right contains a two-pane French window and overlight, with two-pane windows and overlights to the returns, and a decorative pierced cast-iron ventilation grille adjacent to one overlight.

The first-floor windows comprise two 6/6 sashes in plain reveals with sills. The elevation continues to the right by a conservatory of ten bays: six bays are formed from 6/6 sashes, whilst each end bay is a 2/2 sash with both curved frame and glass; all are supported on a dwarf-wall. Two further bays (numbers three and eight) are six-pane doors with raised and fielded bottom panels and pane overlights, with colonnettes to each bay division. The conservatory has a hipped glazed roof with opening roof-lights and is accessed internally via a two-pane French window in the east elevation of the house.

The west elevation, facing Lansdowne Crescent, is two storeys with three first-floor windows. The stucco is lined to represent ashlar with a plinth, pilaster strips to the ends and between windows linked by a plain eaves band, and radial fluted-shell motifs to the tympana of ground-floor windows. First-floor windows are 2/2 sashes, ground-floor windows are two-pane French windows with overlights, all in plain reveals with louvred shutters with hold-backs. The rear (east) elevation is painted stucco, with a 4/4 sash to the second floor and 6/6 and 8/8 sashes to lower levels; a window to the left first-floor has louvred shutters. A single-storey former service range extends to the east and forms the rear wall of the conservatory.

The interior retains many original features including panelled doors and shutters, skirtings, and architraves. Plaster cornices, some with modillions and one with rosettes, decorate the ceilings; the hall ceiling is embossed papier-mâché, and a decorative frieze in the room to the right of the hall is similar. An open-well staircase has slender turned balusters and a wreathed handrail, with back stairs featuring winders. Fireplaces on the ground and first floors are constructed in timber, marble, and painted stone with cast-iron grates; one ground-floor fireplace includes the Crest of the City of Worcester.

The house, formerly known as Lansdowne Villa, was occupied in 1861 by Joseph Wood, a builder, contractor, and Mayor of Worcester, whose connection likely explains the presence of the City Crest on one of the fireplaces. The building represents a notable composition in the Regency tradition, with the conservatory being a fine example of its type. Lansdowne Crescent contains a good group of listed buildings, with Nos. 1-15 (consecutive) and 17 and 18 forming a cohesive development comparable to other Worcester schemes of the period such as Britannia Square, Lark Hill, and Rainbow Hill Terrace.