Chandos House And Attached Steps

Chandos House is a house, built in 1869 by E. Gibbons, and later converted into eight flats in the late 20th century. It is located on Fonnerau Road, Ipswich. The building is constructed of white brick with slate roofs and is composed of two irregular sections. The western half is three storeys high with a basement, while the eastern half is two storeys high with a dormer attic and basement.

The west side features a two-storey canted bay window with 2-light casement windows. The ground floor has rusticated pilasters and shouldered window lintels, while the first floor has banded brick pilasters and arched window heads. The hipped roof is topped by a modillion cornice. The attic storey has two 2/2 sash windows with horns, set under segmental heads and flanked by advanced, decorated brick piers that rise above the gable to block parapets. These are supported by side volutes and feature urn finials. The east side contains the main entrance, which has a four-panelled door, the top two panels glazed, set in a recess behind a four-centred arch supported on extravagant console brackets. Above the door is a 2-light casement window with an arched head. The roof has a 2/2 horned sash in a dormer with a deep lugged segmental head.

The next bay is defined by wide brick pilasters, rusticated to the ground floor and with a recessed panel on the first floor. This section contains two ground-floor casement windows with shouldered lintels, and two similar windows to the first floor, with extended aprons and arched heads. Curved consoles appear beneath the eaves on the pilasters and at the return angles. There are two dormers in the roof with lugged segmental heads, each containing a 2/2 horned sash. Two stacks are visible on the east side.

The house is situated on an elevated site and is accessed via a flight of steps with curving brick side walls. Inside, there is an open-well staircase with turned balusters and a ramped and wreathed handrail. A newel post is in the form of a twisted baluster. Most original doors have been blocked or replaced with modern doors. Chandos House is part of a group of notable houses on Fonnerau Road.