Number 26 And Attached Railings

Number 26 and its attached railings are a terraced town house, likely dating to circa 1908-1909, designed by Arnold Mitchell for J Monro Coats. The building is constructed of Portland stone ashlar, with a steep green Tilberthwaite slate roof and a stone pediment concealing attic dormers. It is four storeys high, with an attic and basement, and features two windows to the front. A Doric portico supports a cast iron balcony above the first floor window, and double part-glazed doors provide entrance. A canted bay with transom and mullion windows extends from the ground to the second floor, topped with a projecting cornice and a stone balustrade to the fourth floor windows. The sash windows above the entrance have two panes, with stone transoms and aprons that include carved festoons and guttae; similar enrichment is present on the second floor bay windows. A projecting modillion cornice runs along the building. The pediment features two 2-light attic windows above a cartouche, with carved stone enrichment at the base angles. Lead rainwater heads and pipes run down the angle of the house. Attached cast iron railings are present to the front areas.

The interior is grand, particularly on the ground and first floors. The entrance hall is in a Neo-Adam style, paved with green and white marble tiles. A staircase features bellying out cast iron balusters and a mahogany handrail, lit by an oval lantern at the third-floor level. The front ground floor room is also Neo-Adam style, with a chimney piece (likely a reproduction) and elaborate mahogany doors. The rear dining room has oak panelling to a high level, largely composed of re-used antique panelling, with a blocked fireplace but retaining a carved oak overmantle. Very fine plasterwork friezes and ceilings are present, executed in the manner of Ernest Gimson, likely by George Bankart and the Bromsgrove Guild, depicting entwined roses, foliage, small animals, and birds. A long, domed and panelled passage leads to a rear room (possibly a library), also featuring very fine and more complex plasterwork friezes and ceilings, panelling to nearly full height, and a carved overmantle. The first floor drawing rooms are in a Neo-Rococo style, with good panelling and plasterwork; the front room includes an Ionic screen and a marble fireplace, while the back room has thicker, circa 17th-century style plasterwork in the coved cornice area. Good quality mahogany and walnut doors are found throughout, with elaborate door cases. The second floor includes a good marble fireplace. The building represents a good example of the arrangement and style prevalent in grander Edwardian town houses.