No 10 With Attached Walls, Railings, Gate And Pier

House with attached walls, railings, gate and pier, Worcester

This is a house probably built between 1680 and 1700, constructed on an earlier site and incorporating substantial medieval remains. The building reuses earlier materials and retains significant historical elements, including a former entrance to a charnel chapel crypt dating from around 1224, and probably a 14th-century wall incorporated into the basement and boundary. Later additions and alterations were made, notably around 1820.

The main structure is built of reddish-brown brick with stucco applied to the front facade. The basement and other areas use green and red sandstone. The roof is hipped with plain tiles and is topped with four tall brick stacks—one to each side, one to the rear, and one to the extension—all featuring oversailing courses and mainly finished with pots. The property includes sandstone and brick walls, and cast-iron gate, railings and balconettes.

The house follows a double-depth plan with a central hallway and stairwell positioned behind the room on the left, with a further range extending left towards the rear. Walls and railings abut the left side and rear of the building.

The building is sited on a slope. To the front, the main range presents 3 storeys with 4 tall first-floor windows, a 2-storey single bay to the left, and a single-storey projecting porch occupying 2 bays on the right. The rear of the main range shows 2 storeys above a basement, with attics, and 4 first-floor windows. Stucco detailing includes quoins to the angles of the main range, fluted keystones with cornices to the windows, a moulded cornice, and coped parapets. Six-over-six sash windows appear throughout in near-flush frames, with that to the ground floor at the left range now blocked. The ground and first floor windows of the main range have thick glazing bars; all have sills. The entrance to the left return of the porch consists of a 6-panel door with the lower two panels flush-beaded, set in a tooled architrave with a cornice on brackets. The porch also contains two 2-over-2 sashes with fluted keystones, cornice and low coped parapet. The left return has 6-over-6 sashes and 2 tripartite windows with 6-over-6 sashes flanked by 2-over-2 sashes. A gable-ended attic dormer contains a 3-over-3 sash.

The rear features wide eaves to the main range, predominantly 6-over-6 sashes, with 2 to the ground floor of the left range being 3-over-9 sashes; all have cambered arches over them, and those to the first floor show evidence of earlier, taller windows. First-floor windows are fitted with segmental-shaped lattice balconettes; similar latticework forms a balcony across the 2 northernmost ground-floor windows and a lattice balustrade to steps leading down to the garden. Two box attic dormers contain 4-over-4 sashes. The basement retains a 2-light 14th-century chamfered mullion window, and a further casement window sits within a medieval chamfered lintel.

The front garden walls and railings abut the left range and return across the frontage for approximately 3 metres by 12 metres, with a coped wall approximately 1.5 metres high surmounted by spearhead railings. A pier to the angle is square on plan with frieze and cornice, with steps to a gate fitted with spearhead railings. Rear boundary garden walls to north and south extend approximately 40 metres in length, ramping from 2 to 4 metres in height.

Interior

The house retains a wealth of original features. On the ground floor, the entrance hall has a stone flagged floor. An archway leads through to an open newel staircase that rises the full height of the building, featuring a closed string, a pulvinated frieze surmounted by turned rod-on-double-bobbin balusters, a wide shaped handrail, large bobbin finials, and onion-pendants to the newels. Most original doors survive, including those with 2 flush panels, 2 raised-and-fielded panels, and 6 flush panels. A corner cupboard in the kitchen has lower doors with H-hinges and two 2-panel upper doors with H-hinges, all with raised-and-fielded panels to the interior. Windows retain panelled shutters. The rear room has a fireplace with a cast-iron Neo-classical grate.

On the first floor, chamfered axial and transverse beams are visible. The rear room features an embellished plaster cornice with acanthus leaves and a foliate ceiling frieze, along with a Regency marble fireplace. The attic contains a fireplace to the front room fitted with a cast-iron grate. A closed string staircase descends from the ground floor to the basement, with a shaped handrail and square newel topped by a large bobbin finial.

The basement retains the former entrance to the charnel chapel crypt, a pointed chamfered arch. Plank doors with probably 17th-century hinges survive. Remains of a medieval fireplace are visible. Barrel-vaulted cellars with stone shelves complete the basement level.

Historical Context

This house was probably built on the site of the chaplain's house associated with the charnel chapel (demolished during the 17th century) and incorporates an entrance to the charnel chapel in its basement. The basement probably incorporates part of the medieval boundary wall and may also straddle the boundary ditch that once separated the Cathedral from the Bishop's Palace (The Old Palace). The listed buildings in College Yard form a good group and contribute to the setting of the Cathedral. The rear boundary garden walls extend to Diglis Parade, where they abut the west boundary wall which forms part of the Cathedral Walls (Scheduled Ancient Monument 343A).