Pearson House

BRIGHTON

TQ3203NW PORTLAND PLACE 577-1/48/677 (North side) 20/08/71 Nos.12, 13 AND 14 Pearson House

GV II

Includes: Pearson House ABBEY ROAD. Also known as: St Dunstan's. Terraced houses. Built in 1847 on the site of Major Villeroy Russell's Portland House, which burned to the ground in 1825. Intended as terminal feature of the Villeroy's Portland Place development. Merged in late C19 into West House, which St Dunstan's Institute acquired after the First World War. Restored and rebuilt in 1971, when a large extension constructed along Abbey Road to the rear. Stucco. Late C20 mansard roof of metal. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and dormer over half basement. 13-window range. Elevation divided into 3 bays, the outer bays of 2-window range, the centre of 7-window range, with one-window range join between the side and centre bays. Windows in join are tripartite; all windows flat arched except for the basement windows of the centre which are segmental arched. Continuous storey band between basement and ground floor and between ground and first floors; cornice band between first and second floors with sill band above; entablature and parapet. Architraves to French doors on ground floor, each has a C20 metal balcony. C20 verandah of early C19 type to ground floor of each end bay. All sashes and glazing of C20. First-floor windows with projecting sills and architraves interrupted by square blocks at the corners. Second-floor windows with architraves, those to end bays and join have a pair of triglyph corbels to each sill and square blocks at the corners. The flat-arched entrance is on the right return and set under tetrastyle portico of the Composite order; pilaster responds, from the left-hand respond a short expanse of pierced wall ending in a square Composite pier. Window treatment and horizontal divisions similar to those on the main elevation. Both left and right return have a 4-window range. On the right return, facing St George's Church, St George's Road (qv) is an entrance porch of mid to late C19 date; tetrastyle portico of Composite columns. INTERIOR: inside entrance is a double-height stair hall with L-plan stair rising to first floor; cast-iron balusters with volute string to the each riser. St Dunstan's forms a most important group with Nos 1-11 (qv) and Nos 15-25 (qv) Portland Place. (Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-: 56T).

Listing NGR: TQ3249403790