No. 4 Oxford House And Attached Railings

This is a three-storey, attic, and basement house, now used as University student accommodation, built in the late 1770s (circa 1771-1773) with an early 19th-century extension. It was designed by John Wood the Younger. The front is faced with limestone ashlar, painted on the ground floor, while the rear is of ashlar and rubble. The roof is a mansard form covered with artificial slate, punctuated by two ashlar stacks, one with early clay pots rising from a coped party wall and a smaller one from the rear wall. A staircase is located at the rear.

The front elevation has a three-window facade. The first floor has three plate glass sash windows with splayed, ovolo moulded stone sills resting on cut-down console brackets. The second floor mirrors this with plate glass windows within ovolo architraves and stone sills. The ground floor features two plate glass sash windows to the left and an eight-panel door with a single glazed panel, a cast iron lion's mask knocker, and a cyma moulded architrave with flat surrounds and projecting moulded cornices forming a hood. A single step leads to a Pennant paved crossover with a cast iron footscraper. The basement has two six/six-sash windows to the left and a six-panel door with a six-pane overlight in the ashlar infill under the crossover. Limestone area steps with Pennant inserts, and a wrought iron handrail lead to the basement entrance. Two dormers with plate glass sashes are set into the roof. Other details include a band course over the ground floor, a modillion eaves cornice, a coped parapet, and a lead hopperhead at the eaves shared with the adjoining property. The rear elevation includes a full-height extension with various sash window arrangements and horned sashes.

The interior was not inspected at the time of listing.

The house is accompanied by attached wrought iron railings and a gate with shaped heads on painted limestone bases.

Russell Street was developed by John Wood in conjunction with the Assembly Rooms and the eastern end of Rivers Street, on land acquired from Thomas and Daniel Omer. This development occurred after Wood and Andrew Sproule purchased the land, formerly Holdstock’s Garden or Russell’s Close, in 1768.