48 AND 50, LARK HILL

48 and 50 Lark Hill are a pair of semi-detached villas built around 1819 to 1824, with later additions and alterations. They are constructed of stucco over brick and feature a hipped slate roof with stuccoed party-wall stacks. The design is symmetrical and Classical, with the main facade facing the garden to the west. The buildings rise three storeys and have four first-floor windows, with side ranges that are set back, each containing one first-floor window and rear service ranges that now serve as a garage and annexe.

The stucco detailing includes horizontal rustication on the ground floor, which is accentuated by voussoirs over wide, segmental-arched window recesses. A cyma-moulded cornice runs above the ground floor, supported by Doric pilasters at the ends and pairs of Doric pilasters between the windows, topped with an entablature and blocking course. The first floor features 6/6 sash windows with blind boxes, while the second floor has 3/3 sashes, and the ground floor also has 6/6 sashes, all set in plain reveals. To the right, there is a timber verandah. The side ranges have similar window styles, and the entrances to the rear have been renewed. The right return includes a two-storey bow window with a tripartite 6/6 sash flanked by two 2/2 sashes, which is curved in section.

Inside No. 48, original plasterwork and joinery are preserved, including a dogleg staircase with carved tread ends, stick balusters, and a wreathed handrail. Some windows have panelled shutters, and there is an acanthus frieze on the ground-floor cornices, along with some Victorian fireplaces.

Historically, the Lark Hill development from 1819 to 1824 was intended to be more extensive, featuring terraces and a crescent. Nos. 38-50 (even) and Woodside on Lark Hill Road form a notable group of Victorian villas. No. 48 was previously listed as No. 6, and No. 50 was listed as No. 7 Lark Hill Road.