14, South Parade

House, built around 1743 by John Wood the Elder. It is part of the right-hand end of a twenty-bay Palladian terrace at South Parade, encompassing numbers 9 to 14. The building comprises the closing three bays of the terrace, with projecting three-bay sections set forward and crowned with pediments. Constructed of limestone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof, the main facade has three stories, an attic, and two basement levels, displaying a three-window front to South Parade. A platband and sill band are located at first-floor level, and all windows are late 19th-century plate glass sashes in moulded surrounds with cornice heads, with dropped sills to those on the first floor. The central doorway, positioned under the pediment, features an eight-panel door with the top four panels glazed and a doorcase with a pediment supported by consoles. A modillion cornice and pediment are present, above a parapet (from which the balustrade has been removed). The mansard roof has two flat-topped dormers, and a stack without pots. Wrought-iron railings replace original stone balustrades at the front, and there is a double-depth basement.

The return elevation facing the river is five stories high, including two levels below street level, with a three-bay arrangement. It is rubble-faced with quoins, plat band, and cornice. Windows vary across the levels, with a six/six sash to the sub-basement, modern windows to the basement, and six/nine and six/six sashes to the ground floor. The first floor has four/six, one six/nine, and one margin glazed windows over one, while the second floor consists of three plain sashes. A continuous iron balcony serves two ground-floor and first-floor windows on the left-hand side. Three attic dormers are also present, and a stack without pots. A later single-bay addition on the right has an ashlar facade above a rubble-faced lower storey, complete with a parapet. The lower two floors have six/six sash windows, while the upper two have C19 plate glass windows. The rear of this extension includes blind windows with feigned glazing bars.

The interior of the property has not been inspected. This house marks the eastern end of John Wood’s incomplete Abbey Orchard undertaking, a significant urban development of the 18th century. Construction began in 1743, but plots were still assigned in 1749. The house is notable for its extensive basements, reflecting the work needed to create a level terrace on a sloping site. In the late 18th century, it served as lodgings for Mrs Harford, with notable residents including John Wilkes (in 1771 and 1788) and Fanny Burney (in 1780), as indicated by a plaque.