3 and 4, Gainsborough Gardens

A pair of semi-detached houses built in 1884 by EJ May for HB Timewell, forming part of a small estate. The houses are constructed of red brick with stucco dressings and a first-floor band. Number 3 has a tiled roof with tile hanging to the gable and second floor, while Number 4 has a tiled roof with slate hanging to the gable and second floor. Both houses feature tall brick chimney stacks and white bargeboards; Number 4 also has a dormer.

The fenestration is irregular, with sash windows in the second floor and attic, and mullion and transom windows on the lower floors, the upper panes of which have small lights. Number 3 has a round-arched porch entrance with brick and stucco banding, an enriched keystone, a recessed part-glazed door with sidelights, a projecting transom and mullion bay window supported by large brackets, and a two-storey canted oriel, partly tile-hung. Number 4 has a similar entrance with a similar oriel on the angle to the right, and a keyed oculus.

The interiors were not inspected. Drawings for the houses were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1884. EJ May had previously worked extensively on the Bedford Park Estate, and while this design has some Queen Anne details, it is more monumental in scale. HB Timewell, a London tailor, lived in Number 4 and let Number 3.