1-5, SION PLACE

A row of five houses at 1-5 Sion Place, built between 1825 and 1826. The terrace is stepped downhill, sloping from number 1 to the left. The houses were likely designed by John Pinch. They are constructed from limestone ashlar with double-pitched slate mansard roofs, with higher roof ranges to the rear, dormers, and tall, moulded stacks set into the party walls.

The houses are three storeys high with attics and basements, and each has a two-bay facade. The terrace is articulated with full-height panelled pilasters; to the right of each house, high coped parapets and cornices sweep down to span the next building. Ground floor platbands and banded rustication include incised voussoirs which step down along the slope. Originally, the windows were six/six-pane sashes, and the doors had six-panel lower sections with decorative, narrow overlights to the left of each house.

Number 1 has a late 19th-century attic storey with a moulded parapet coping, two/two-pane windows to the attic, plate glass sash windows below, a balconette to the ground floor window, and blind windows to the returns. It also has a plain overlight. Number 2 has a late 19th-century mansard roof with a three-light dormer, original windows, and a door with a margin-paned overlight. A small window to the left has a cast iron scroll grill. Number 3 is similar, with a 20th-century dormer and fine ornament to its overlight. Number 4 is similar to number 3 and number 5 has two original raking dormers and balconettes to the first floor. The rear elevation features six/six-pane sash windows.

An interior photograph from the mid-20th century, held by the National Monuments Record, shows the interior of number 5, which features reeded architraves and high-quality plasterwork including a band of moulded leaf ornament to the drawing room.

The houses are part of the development of Bathwick Hill and were likely designed in the office of John Pinch and Son. Leases were granted by the Earl of Darlington in 1825 (for numbers 1-3) and 1826 (for numbers 4-5).