237 AND 239, SYDENHAM ROAD

These are a semi-detached pair of houses, now converted into flats, dating from around 1878. They were built using an early patent concrete slab system pioneered by builder W H Lascelles, with design assistance by Norman Shaw. The construction incorporates coloured concrete, brick, and concrete tile hanging stained to resemble clay, topped with a tile roof and brick stacks. The design features a deep plan with the two-storey houses being mirror images of each other, each with projecting wings to the front and sides. All windows are casements; those on the jettied first floor have lattice-pattern iron tracery. Elaborate projecting doorcases, featuring console brackets and pilasters, shelter the original front doors, which are located in the side wings. The interiors have not been inspected. The original concrete front boundary wall to number 237 is also included in the listing. These houses are notable as a well-preserved example of early concrete technology, combined with exceptional architectural skill. They form a strong visual group with the listed numbers 226 and 228 opposite, which were also built using the Lascelles system.