Nos. 11 And 12 And Attached Railings And Vaults

Two houses, now converted to flats, built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Warr Atwood, who probably also designed them. The houses stand on land formerly occupied by two cottages, conveyed to Atwood by Reverend Sir Peter Rivers Gay on 25 March 1775 under a ninety-nine year lease commencing 25 December 1774, with the requirement that Atwood build two houses within three years. The ground available was sufficient only for No.12 and four-fifths of No.11; the remainder of No.11 occupies land already held by Atwood, which he had leased in 1773.

The buildings are constructed with limestone ashlar to the fronts, rubble walling below basement windows on No.12's right side, ashlar to No.12's right side, and rubble to the rear of each house. Both have double pile parapeted mansard roofs with artificial slate to front and rear, and two ashlar chimneys rising from coped party walls to the right. No.11's front has been partially rebuilt in reconstituted stone with some early clay pots remaining to the rear. No.12 has a small ashlar stack above the front slope on a coped gable wall to the right. Staircases are positioned to the rear.

Each house contains three storeys, an attic and basement, with a three-window front elevation. No.11's first floor features three plate glass horned sashes in splayed ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices rising from lowered stone sills. The second floor has three plate glass horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. The ground floor has two plate glass horned sashes to the left in splayed reveals with stone sills, and to the right a six-panel door with flush beaded, fielded and glazed panels in a stone doorcase with cyma moulded architrave on a flat surround with moulded brackets supporting a moulded cornice. One step leads to a pennant paved crossover with a cast iron footscraper. The basement contains one plate glass horned sash in a beaded reveal with timber sill to the left, and one six-over-six sash in a plain reveal with stone sill to the right; a 20th-century plank screen with door infills the space beneath the sashes. A band course runs over the ground floor, with a modillion eaves cornice and coped parapet above.

No.12's first floor has three plate glass horned sashes in splayed ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices rising from lowered stone sills, those to the centre and right with wrought iron balconettes. The second floor has three plate glass horned sashes with additional fixed panes inserted above in ovolo moulded architraves rising from lowered stone sills. The ground floor contains three plate glass horned sashes in plain reveals with splayed jambs and stone sills. The basement has two six-over-six sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, with a 20th-century extension in the area featuring a pennant paved roof and a 20th-century door; no area steps are present. Two single dormers have plate glass horned sashes. A band course runs over the ground floor with incised lettering reading 'OXFORD-ROW' to the right. A sill band to the first floor, now interrupted by lowered windows, continues with a modillion eaves cornice and coped parapet above.

The right side facing Julian Road features a six-panel door with fielded panels in a chamfered plain reveal with a moulded cornice over, and two small 20th-century windows to the ground and first floors. A band course, first floor sill band and the upper moulding of the cornice continue from the front elevation.

The rear elevations of both houses are partially visible. Both have two-over-two horned sashes; No.12 has six-over-six sashes to the staircase and a small lean-to extension. A lead hopperhead and downpipe mark the junction of the two houses to the front, with a corresponding lead hopperhead to the rear.

The interiors have not been inspected.

Attached wrought iron railings with a lifting section to No.12 feature shaped heads on painted limestone bases.

The houses represent standard Palladian designs for the 1770s and could be the work of Atwood, John Wood the Younger, or Thomas Jelly, though evidence suggests Atwood is the most likely designer. Atwood was a competent architect whose elevations exemplify the English Palladian tradition as applied to street architecture. The freeholds were eventually united in City ownership in 1949.