Olivier House And Attached Railings

Olivier House is a mid-18th century terraced house, originally built around 1825, and subsequently converted into offices in 1985. It is located on Marine Parade in Brighton, and incorporates part of No. 20 Madeira Place. The house was likely designed by Amon Wilds and Charles Augustus Busby. Constructed of stucco, it has a slate roof.

The front to Marine Parade has four storeys above a basement and a three-window range, while the return to Madeira Place, which includes the entrance porch, has a four-window range. A prominent full-height, full-width segmental bay dominates the Marine Parade frontage. The ground floor features banded, chamfered rustication on both facades, with a plain band above the second storey. All windows are flat-arched, with architraves on the first and second floors. A veranda with cast-iron railings and a convex roof, recently renewed, extends across the first floor. An entablature with a blocking course runs along both frontages.

The entrance on Madeira Place is round-arched, enclosed by Tuscan antae, and features round-arched windows in the side walls and an elaborate entablature. A fanlight sits above the door. To the left of the entrance is a full-height segmental bay with triple windows. Five new dormers have been added to the roof, and a stack is situated on the front wall in Madeira Place at the north end. Cast-iron railings enclose the area.

A later 19th-century office block has been incorporated into the site, creating an office complex named Olivier House. The listing includes only the front wall of the unit at the northernmost extent of the Olivier House, formerly No. 20 Madeira Place. This section is of stucco with a slate roof dating to circa 1991. It has three storeys and dormers, exhibiting an Italianate style. Two rectangular bays with quadrant corners define the elevation, one full height and the other rising from a carriageway. All openings, except the dormers, are flat-arched with quadrant corners.

The ground floor is treated with banded and chamfered rustication, and the upper floor windows have ornamented keyed lintels. An entablature band between the ground and first floors features a frieze of scrolled plaques and masks. Above the left entrance is a plaque inscribed "Hazel House." A cornice connects to the base of the right-hand bay, which is ornamented with a floral spray and a cartouche inscribed with the letters “V.E.Y.” arranged in a circle. A dentil cornice and garlanded frieze mark the entablature between the first and second floors. A repeating dentil cornice at the top of the elevation is capped by a balustrade, which becomes a scroll-crested parapet on the right-hand bay, dated 1985. The balustrade, parapet, and dormers all date from the 1985 conversion.

The interior has not been inspected.