Front Garden Wall To Sydney Gardens Hotel And Ravenswell

656-1/32/163 05/08/75

SYDNEY ROAD (North side) Front garden wall to Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell (Formerly Listed as: SYDNEY ROAD Garden wall to Lonsdale and Ravenswell)

GV II

A garden wall, entrances and gatepiers fronting two semi-detached houses, similar to that of nearby Miles House (qv), dating from 1853.

MATERIALS: The wall is constructed from limestone ashlar, with plain capping.

EXTERIOR: The wall is roughly 90m long and 1.5m high, and is articulated by piers c.2m high and c.9m apart. There is an arched entrance to each house, c.3.5m high; these have block tops, swept at the edges over modillion cornices and semicircular arches with keystones, sunk spandrels, moulded imposts and traces of former bell pulls. The piers have similar cornices, and their shafts have recessed panels, within each of which is a raised panel with rounded corners. To the left of the entrance way to the Sydney Gardens Hotel is a C20 opening for vehicles; this and the entrance way have late C20 plank gates, whilst the entrance to Ravenswell retains its original double doors with recessed panels.

HISTORY: The wall was constructed in 1853 as the perimeter wall for a pair of villas, formerly Lonsdale and Ravensworth, now the Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell. The buildings stand on the site formerly occupied by the labyrinth, one of the earlier features at Sydney Gardens pleasure grounds, between the GWR railway and the Kennet and Avon Canal as they enter Sydney Gardens.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: The front garden wall to the Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * A substantial length of highly architectural boundary wall dating from the middle of the C19, retaining its relationship to the houses which it was built to serve * The inclusion of good quality, decorated gatepiers and impressive entrance ways * Group value with the Grade II listed Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell, and the adjacent GWR railway bridge and Kennet and Avon Canal bridge, both listed at Grade II

Listing NGR: ST7584865236