40, College Crescent

No. 40, College Crescent is a detached house dating to approximately 1880. It was designed by Morris and Stallwood of Reading for Samuel Palmer. The house is constructed of grey and red Reading bricks with terracotta detailing and continuous dentil cornices at floor level, and has tiled hipped roofs with tall brick chimney stacks.

The house is three and two stories high with a basement, and is five bays wide with irregular window placement. Its design is asymmetrical, in the Queen Anne style. A central projecting porch features pilasters flanking a round-arched entrance, a keystone, and an enriched parapet with ball finials. The entrance has panelled, part-glazed double doors and a patterned fanlight. To the left of the entrance is a window with a radial patterned head, and the first and second-floor sash windows have keystones and shaped aprons. A bay of grey bricks with red brick pilaster strips rising through the floors to form a round-arched blind arcading with keystones on the second floor is set to the left, featuring central sashes with shaped and enriched aprons and an enriched plaque in a pediment. A ground-floor window is flanked by cartouches. A two-story canted bay is present on the return to the left, and to the right of the entrance is a pedimented oriel window with a large round-arched window and patterned glazing. The right-hand bays feature two sashes to each floor, flanked by red brick pilasters and with central enriched plaques. The rear elevation is less architecturally significant.

The front portion of the house, extending to the rear wall of an axial corridor, retains very fine original internal features. A central hall and staircase features dado panelling, moulded arches on turned columns, original doors and windows with stained glass, a moulded ceiling, a wooden fireplace, and fine panelled doors in elaborate wooden surrounds. The main staircase rises through three stories, with all original decoration intact. Rooms to the rear of the axial corridor have been altered and are plainer. The front ground floor rooms have fine fireplaces, elaborate doors and door surrounds, contemporary plaster ceilings, and deep coving. Upper floor rooms have been sub-divided but retain original late Victorian fittings, including fireplaces, doors, door surrounds, coving, skirting boards, dado panelling, and fitted cupboards.

The house is a well-preserved example of late Victorian architecture with remarkably good quality original internal features, particularly in the front rooms. Originally called Northcourt, it later served as a children’s hospital. A drinking fountain, presented by the Palmer family in memory of Samuel Palmer in 1904, is located at the corner with Fitzjohn's Avenue.