No 15 And Wall Adjoining To East

No. 15 College Green, Worcester, and wall adjoining to east

House, now offices for the King's School, and wall adjoining. Built circa 1720-30 with later alterations including those of the mid-19th century.

The building is constructed of reddish-brown brick in Flemish bond with an ashlar plinth, doorcase, pilasters, keystones and cornice. It has a hipped plain tile roof and two tall brick lateral stacks with oversailing courses and pots, plus two tall rear stacks.

The plan comprises a double-depth structure with a central hallway and ranges set back to the right and at the rear.

The exterior presents a main range of two storeys on a half-basement with attics and seven first-floor windows. A raised plinth with moulded coping is surmounted by clasping pilasters with horizontal rustication. The ground and first floors have 6/6 sash windows with moulded sills and flat arches of gauged brick. Central keystones with cornices ornament each window; the cornice at the centre first-floor window is embellished with a foliate motif. A dentil cornice continues to the returns. The low coped parapet has an end pilaster and three regularly-spaced pilasters with horizontal rustication. Three roof dormers contain casement windows. The half-basement features 2-light mullion openings, now barred.

The central entrance comprises a flight of three semi-circular roll-edged steps and an upper step leading to an 8-raised-and-fielded-panel door in a pedimented Gibbs surround. Two cast-iron boot scrapers flank the doorway. The right return has a cogged band over the first floor. A set-back range at the right extends two storeys with an attic and four first-floor windows: the outer two are 2/2 sashes and the inner two are 6/6 sashes, all with cambered flat arches. A gable-ended roof dormer with a casement window and an end stack complete this section. The left return has four first-floor windows, all embellished as on the front facade with similar clasping pilasters to the end. The rear range, under a hipped roof, has 2-light mullion windows with lancet lights, attic dormers with decorative bargeboards, and dentil eaves.

The interior hallway is panelled to dado level and features two round arches with raised-and-fielded panels leading to an openwell staircase with closed string and carved tread ends. The staircase has rod-on-vase balusters with square knops and a moulded cornice. 6-raised-and-fielded-panel doors serve the principal rooms. The hall contains a panelled window seat.

A subsidiary stone wall adjoins the building to the east, extending approximately 10 metres in length and 2.75 metres in height, with double-chamfered stone copings and an inserted opening. This wall abuts Edgar Tower to the east.

The building was constructed on the site of the Almoner's house and part of the Priory. In 1797 Canon Thomas James resided here, followed by Canon Francis Seymour St John in 1804, Canon Edward Winnington Ingrams from 1833, Canon John Fortesque from 1851, and Canon James Bowling from 1869. It became The Deanery in 1942. The building abuts the remains of Guesten Hall (a Scheduled Ancient Monument), whose roof is now displayed at the Avoncroft Open Air Museum in Bromsgrove.

All listed buildings in College Green form a significant group providing the setting for Worcester Cathedral to the north side.