Springfield (Alice Otley School)

WORCESTER

SO8455NE BRITANNIA SQUARE 620-1/8/109 Springfield (Alice Otley 22/5/54 School) (Formerly Listed as: BRITANNIA SQUARE (East side) No.55 (Springfield Guest House and Peter Pan School))

GV II

Large detached villa, now school. c1820 with later additions and alterations. Painted stucco over brick, hipped slate roof with central well, pair of axial stucco stacks with oversailing detail and pots. Timber doorcase. Double-depth, double-fronted plan with central hallway. 3 storey and basement. Principal elevation faces east and is symmetrical. 5 (2:1:2) first-floor windows. Stucco detailing includes plinth; first-floor sill band with moulded lower edge; pilasters at corners and further pair flanking centre windows rise from this sill band to plain eaves band; shallow window recess with segmental arched head to either side of entrance. Ground-floor windows are 6/9 sashes in plain reveals with sills, otherwise 6/6. 2 roll-edged stone steps to entrance, paired doors, bottom panels are flush double-beaded, upper panels margin-glazed; moulded architrave with round-arched head, petal pattern fanlight. INTERIOR: Retains open-well staircase with wreathed handrail, square balusters; 6-panel doors, moulded architrave doorcases with frieze, cornice and corner paterae in various designs including sunflowers and anthemia; panelled shutters to splayed reveals; skirtings, picture rails; marble fireplaces to ground-floor; Plaster cornices with anthemion design to modillions.

All the listed buildings in Britannia Square (qv) form a unified group, started in 1820 and planned around a large green in which this the main house ('Springfield') is placed. Compares with similar although smaller developments in Worcester such as Lansdowne Crescent, Lark Hill, and Rainbow Hill Terrace (qqv).