The North Gatehouse And Attached Walls Piers And Railings

BRIGHTON

TQ3104SW CHURCH STREET 577-1/40/154 (South side) 13/10/52 The North Gatehouse and attached walls, piers and railings (Formerly Listed as: CHURCH STREET North Gate House (The Office of the Royal Pavilion Estate))

II*

Gatehouse. Built c1774, redecorated and extended in 1832. Stucco; brick in Flemish bond to single-storey north porch; flint with brick dressings; roof of tile. STYLE: exotic Asian style to harmonise with the North Gate (qv) and Pavilion (qv). EXTERIOR: the main elevation faces east; 3 storeys and 2 dormers over basement; single storey porch extension to Church Street. Ogival-arched entrance set within an aedicule designed to echo the gateway and having octagonal corner pilasters, pinnacles and lotus parapet. To either side of entrance a full-height canted bay with tripartite windows; those to ground and first floors are flat arched. All the other windows ogival arched. Cornice and sill bands to bay windows in an orientalising pattern. 2 flat-arched windows. The left return has only one window, in the ground floor; the rest of the elevation is windowless, covered in 2 stages of blind ogival arches. Corner pilasters. The return to Church Street is also covered with blind ogival arches; 2 ogival-arched windows to first floor. Single-storey entrance porch on Church Street, with ogival-arched entrance and overlight with decorative glazing; octagonal corner piers topped by minaret-like forms; cornice band; lotus parapet. A single-storey wing with lotus parapet connects the Gatehouse to the Art Museum and Library, Church Street (qv); along Church Street a wall of flint pebbles and brick lacing courses, stone coping and brick quoin strips. A pair of octagonal stone piers framing alley walkway between Gatehouse and Gate itself. The Gatehouse was built as part of a terrace of 10 units, referred to as the Marlborough. Nos 1-4 were demolished in 1820 and Nos 5-7 in 1821. No.9, owned by a blacksmith who refused to sell his premises to the Prince's agents, was demolished with the widening of Church Street. The Gatehouse was presented by William IV to his sister Princess Augusta in 1830, and redecorated 2 years later. Since 1930 it has provided offices for the Royal Pavilion, Museum, Art gallery and Library (qv). It forms part of a most important group with the Royal Pavilion (qv). (Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-: 161M).

Listing NGR: TQ3128404315