University Of Portsmouth, Park Building And Attached Railings And Balustrade

University of Portsmouth, Park Building and Attached Railings and Balustrade

A polytechnic physics department and public library, now housing University departments of Physics, Pharmacy and Architecture, built 1903–1908 to designs by G E Smith. The building is constructed in Portland stone with a Welsh slate roof, stone stack on the left and brick stack at the centre on the rear pitch.

The structure consists of three storeys, an attic and a raised semi-basement. The main south and east façades meet at an obtuse angle with the principal entrance splayed across the corner. The south façade has nine bays and the east façade has seven bays.

Architectural Character

The façades employ Flemish and Renaissance motifs throughout. Each bay is flanked by a pilaster, heavily rusticated at semi-basement and ground floor levels. Above, Ionic pilasters rise through the first and second floors, with rusticated lower parts, cornice and parapet.

The main entrance is approached by 22 stone steps leading to a two-leaf glazed and panelled door set within a portico. Above this is a fan-light contained within a round stone arch with rusticated keystone and spaced voussoirs. The portal opening features a similar round arch flanked by paired Doric columns with rusticated lower parts set on high pedestals. Relief sculpture appears between the columns and in the spandrel of the arch. Internally, left and right returns contain a round-arched niche.

The first and second floors are dominated by a large two-storey tripartite canted oriel with rusticated quoin strips, stone transom and mullioned casement at the centre of each floor, with narrow flanking casements. The second floor sits beneath a rusticated segmental arch with keystone, cornice and parapet.

At the third floor a square tower features a casement set under a round arch with keystone and spaced voussoirs, flanked by Ionic pilasters with frieze and pediment. A deep dentilled cornice is surmounted by a stone cupola with splayed corners, each corner having projecting paired Doric columns, entablature and curved pediment. The cupola is topped by a broad copper dome bearing a ship design weathervane.

To the left and right of the entrance and at the far ends of each façade are half-octagonal stair turrets, corbelled at ground floor and surmounted by small octagonal domes with Ionic rusticated columns and entablature. Each turret contains a ten-pane casement to ground and first floors and an eight-pane casement to the second floor, each set under a flat arch with curved pediment and rusticated jambs.

At the centre of the south façade and on the first floor is an eight-pane metal transomed and mullioned casement set under a flat stone arch with architrave. To the left and right on the first floor are tripartite windows with a centre six-pane sash with fixed three-pane casement at the head, and narrow flanking sashes, all set under a flat stone arch with architrave. Further left and right on the first floor are two pairs of similar six-pane sashes. Each first-floor sash has a pulvinated frieze with cornice, and a pediment over the centre sash with cornice over the flanking sashes. Second-floor sashes are similar but set under a segmental arch with keystone and spaced voussoirs.

Each of the two bays flanking the centre features a facing gable with curved pediment and scrolls. The attic window is a twelve-pane casement set under a flat arch with recessed round arch, keystone and flanking Ionic pilasters with rusticated lower parts.

The right return to the east façade follows a similar treatment but incorporates two three-storey canted bays and a paired Doric columned portal at the centre, which formerly served as the library entrance.

Interior

The original interior details are substantially intact.

Attached Features

Ornate iron railings are attached to the semi-basement well on the south side, and a stone balustrade runs along the east.