Cupola House

Cupola House

This is a town house built in the 17th century, extensively altered around the 1680s, and partially rebuilt and restored following a fire that occurred from 2012 to 2017. Because of the extent of fabric replaced after the fire, the description of both the exterior and interior mostly concerns replica fabric and features unless explicitly stated otherwise as original.

Materials

The building is constructed with lime-based render on an oak timber frame, with wood and expanded metal lath used to the west elevation, along with steel framework. The north, east and south elevations have lime-based render on block cavity wall construction. Part of the south gable wall and the gable wall enclosing the cupola staircase are hung with clay tiles. The roof is covered in plain red clay tiles.

Plan and Setting

The building is located in a terrace facing west onto The Traverse and has an approximately square plan with a double-pile layout and a valley gutter running between the front and rear ranges.

Exterior

Cupola House is in an ornate Classical style with three storeys, an attic and cellars. The south gable end features ornate tile-cladding in its apex. A wide modillion eaves cornice is enriched with flower paterae on the soffit. The first floor is jettied, and both upper floors have chamfered stucco quoins.

The symmetrical west-facing façade is five window bays wide with a central doorway reached via three stone steps with iron railings consisting of stick balusters and slender twisted newel posts with ball finials. The double-leaf door has three panels—the upper two glazed—and sits within an original doorcase with pilasters, bolection capitals and a dentilled cornice. It is flanked by original small-paned bow shop windows in mid-18th century style, with bracket supports and dentilled cornices. The upper floors are lit by six-over-six pane sash windows in flush cased frames, except for the central bay on the first floor, which has an eight-over-eight pane sash. The central bay on the second floor is lit by a French window with a semicircular transom light and radiating glazing bars, opening onto a balcony supported by enriched console brackets and fitted with cast iron railings with ball finials.

Three dormer windows, wholly within the roof space, have two-light casement windows, cornices and pediments, with the central one being segmental. A central octagonal, domed, lead-covered cupola rises above the ridge. This has a cornice which breaks forward over pilasters, with alternate faces lit by semicircular-headed sashes with glazing bars. The dome is surmounted by a ball finial and a weather vane bearing the date 1693 and initials TMS, commemorating the completion of extensive works carried out by Thomas and Susan Macro. Three large red brick chimney stacks with plain rectangular shafts rise from the roof.

The rear elevation to Skinner Street has two gables to the roof and is four window bays wide, lit by six-over-six pane sashes in flush cased frames. A panelled door with glazed upper panels, set within a pedimented doorcase with pilasters, is approached by three stone steps with slender iron handrails and stick newel posts.

Interior

The plan form of four rooms occupying the corners of each floor with a central staircase remains partly legible, although partition walls have been removed, notably along the front of the ground floor. The conversion to a bar and restaurant has introduced industrial kitchens and WC facilities.

Very little original fixtures, fittings, joinery or plasterwork survives due to fire damage. Much has been restored with high-quality replicas, including two-panelled doors in moulded frames, cornices, bolection-moulded fireplace surrounds, panelled dados and full-height panelling with horizontal lower panels and tall upper panels. The rooms along the front of the ground and second floors survived the fire reasonably intact, although the panelling here was reproduction.

Some salvaged materials have been re-used, notably a late Georgian hobgrate and a 19th-century round-arched cast-iron fireplace inset on the second floor, along with a small number of the ornate console brackets against the newel posts on the oak staircase. The staircase replicates the original open well stair rising the full height of the house to the cupola. It has barley-sugar twist balusters, closed moulded strings, panelled dados and hanging finials with carved floral motifs on the soffit.

The octagonal cupola has a panelled dado, a heavy moulded plaster cornice and a bench around all seven closed sides. The original brick vaulted cellars retain wine storage with slate shelves.