Steine House And Attached Walls Piers And Railings

BRIGHTON

TQ3104SW OLD STEINE 577-1/64/636 (West side) 13/10/52 No.55 Steine House and attached walls, piers and railings (Formerly Listed as: OLD STEINE No.55 Steine House, Headquarters of the YMCA)

II

House. 1804, extensively remodelled in 1864 and 1927. Built by William Porden for the Prince's wife, Mrs Fitzherbert. Painted brick in English bond with stucco dressings; C20 mansard roof of slate. EXTERIOR: 2 and a half storeys. 3-window range. Light well in the centre. The raised ground floor projects in front of the front wall forming an enclosed porch, in the centre of which is an entrance porch. At the corners of the porch quarter-round pilasters; corner pilasters to entrance porch which terminate in ball finials. To either side floor-to-ceiling tripartite, flat-arched windows with moulded architraves and sills supported by corbels. Similar windows to first floor open onto the balcony which is enclosed by cast-iron railings and piers. The centre-window range of the first floor projects one brick's thickness. Entablature with projecting cornice across the front. Dormer to centre range of top storey of 2 flat-arched windows, finished in faceted forms which date to 1927. Corner quoins to each floor. Stacks to party and side walls. INTERIOR: the only remnant of the Porden scheme is a cast-iron stair. The building has been so heavily rebuilt that very little else remains; of note, however, is a small elliptical-plan chapel to the right rear of the first floor. Although much altered, this may date to the early C19. To the right of the main entrance is a plaque which reads: In this house lived Mrs. Fitzherbert from 1804 until her death in 1837. When completed the house had an Egyptian-style colonnade along the front which was blown down in 1805 and rebuilt in the Italianate style with a verandah. The YMCA purchased the building in 1884 and had it refaced and extended in 1927, adding an upper storey for bedrooms. It now serves as an emergency shelter for the YMCA. (Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-: 114 L).

Listing NGR: TQ3122304053