Alpha Place

A pair of facing terraces of artisan houses built in the 1850s, situated at right angles to Fairycroft Road. They are located in Saffron Walden, Essex. The houses are constructed of yellow gault brick with hipped slate roofs. A date plaque on the southern block confirms the construction date of 1850. The design incorporates rectangular plans and three storeys, with two-storey rear extensions.

The front, or inner, elevation features single segment-headed windows on each of the three floors, with sash windows containing glazing bars. The upper floor sashes have 4x3 panes, and the ground and first floor sashes are horned 4x4 pane sashes. Segment-headed doorways accommodate nine original doors, each with beaded flush panels. The houses are arranged with mirror-image elevations. A central path runs between the northern (Nos 9-16) and southern (Nos. 1-8) terraces, incorporating front gardens. Shared chimney stacks are visible between the pairs of houses. A round-headed rear access passage connects the pairs of houses.

The rear, outer, elevations are built of red brick and contain single ground and first floor windows with segment-headed, two-light casements, also with glazing bars (4x4 panes). A segment-headed doorway provides access, leading to a door of four panels, the upper two of which are glazed.

The east elevation features hipped roofs and integral rear outshuts with a two-window range. Most windows have been blocked, although some sashes remain, notably a ground floor window with one 3x4 pane and a second floor window with one 4x3 pane in the southern range. The west elevation has similar fenestration but in reverse. A cast-iron pump stands outside the gate of No.5.

Later alterations include a 20th-century porch added to Nos. 7 and 9, and an early 20th-century bay window on No. 10.