15, Lansdowne Crescent

Detached house in Worcester, reputed to be the last house completed in Lansdowne Crescent. Built between 1845 and 1868, with later additions and alterations. The house is constructed of painted stucco over brick with a slate roof.

The principal front features stone-coped parapeted gables with stucco end stacks, the left stack having a recessed panel and no pots. Wrought-iron grilles, railings and a gate provide access to the basement areas, with a cast-iron screen to the porch. The building is of double-depth plan with side entrance, two storeys and basement.

The front elevation displays four first-floor windows arranged 2:2, with the stucco lined to represent ashlar. Detailing includes a porch to the left return, plinth, first-floor sill band, and corbel brackets to the eaves at each gable. All windows have shouldered and eared architraves; those on the first floor are moulded. Ground-floor windows are 4/4 with moulded cornices on console brackets, extending down to floor level, while first-floor windows are 2/2. All sills are stooled.

Two basement windows to the left are 12-pane iron-framed with segmental heads, with a top centre 2-light window on horizontal pivot. Two windows to the right are replacement single-pane timber frames. All basement windows are set in individual light-wells with hinged grilles.

The left return continues the stucco detailing. Left of centre is a porch featuring two square panelled columns and matching pilasters carrying semi-circular arches with moulded architraves and a keystone to the north arch. Triangular inset panels decorate the spandrels. The archways to north and west are open; the east archway is infilled with an ornamental scrolled grille over masonry, later fitted with a 2-pane margin-glazed window with obscure and coloured glass. A 3-panel door with glass over a pair of flush-beaded panels and a plain fanlight sits above, flanked by single-pane windows. Above the porch is a 2/2 sash window with matching cornice and console brackets. To the left of the porch, nine brick steps descend to a pair of vertically boarded doors under a segmental arch leading into the basement, with railings and a matching gate to the steps.

The right return is blank red brick. The rear elevation is a two-storey painted brick outshut with 6/6 and 1/1 sash windows in plain reveals with sills; ground-floor windows have flat gauched brick arches. A single-storey brick and slate service range extends to the rear south, with side-hung casements and a boarded door.

The interior retains original features including panelled doors and shutters, architraves, skirtings and picture rails, plaster cornices and ceiling centres, and marble fireplaces.

Because of their elevated position, vehicular access to the houses of Lansdowne Crescent could only be from the east via Lansdowne Crescent Lane, which introduced formality to what would normally be the rear elevation. The 1886 Ordnance Survey map shows Nos. 10 and 14 as exceptions with carriage drives from the west off Lansdowne Crescent. Nos. 1-15 (consecutive) and 17 and 18 Lansdowne Crescent form a good group of listed buildings, comparing well with other developments of this period in Worcester such as Britannia Square, Lark Hill, and Rainbow Hill Terrace.