Dragons

TQ 49 NW LOUGHTON NURSERY ROAD, 1/22 Dragons 27/2/81 GV II

Late Victorian house, dated 1883 on the south elevation. The plan is complex, comprising a main range aligned roughly north to south, which presents a north- west front elevation. The whole is of red brick in English bond, of 2 storeys, with attics. Roofs ridged and gabled, with a hipped end to the loggia, clay- tiled, with crested ridge-bonnets and various red clay gable finials, including dragons, dogs, decorative crosses. Four chimney stacks exist, asymetrically placed with regard to the plan, all having bold treatment with oversailing coursing at their tops. The front elevation has 2 storey, hipped bay window of five lights, the lower part with a transom and studs with pargetted infill between the storeys. To the right (south-west) is a projecting wing, gabled, with pierced and serpentine verge boards - its gable pargetted between studs. The first storey of this wing has a square and jettied bay window of 5 lights with a transom over a semi-hexagonal bay of 7 lights, also transomed. In the return of this wing is the porch, steeply gabled with serpentine pierced verge boards and timber finial, 2 glazed and leaded Gothick doors and close-boarded panels beneath the leaded side-lights. The south-west elevation has the brick loggia projecting centrally, with a 3 light oriel window on first storey, over an open arcade of 2, 4-centred and pointed arches. The south-west elevation presents a gabled wing on the right, jettied tiebeam and first floor, with matching verge boards, a 2 light semi-hexagonal oriel window on first floor and a 6 light, full height semi-hexagonal bay on ground storey. The loggia arcade is to the right of this, and a single projection left of it, with matching verge boards and a 3 light casement; from this aspect the unusually bold projection of the wing seen from north-west over the oriel - is most pronounced. Inside: the porch a pictorial nativity in coloured ceramics, entrance hall a carved wooden pilaster dated 1894, a Gothick timber arcade on the landing and a carved fire surround, of 9 panels, with carved pictorial relief overmantel, the whole having Gothick recesses either side. The stairs have heavy stop-chamferd newels with acorn finials and very finely turned English-twist balusters. The Gothic arcade on the first floor landing is jettied on very bold timber coving with acorn pendants over the ground-storey entrance hall.

Listing NGR: TQ4162096117