16-29, Marlborough Buildings

Marlborough Buildings, numbers 16 to 29, consists of fourteen terrace houses forming part of a larger terrace of thirty-four houses overlooking Royal Victoria Park to the rear, with staircases to the front. Built around 1780, these houses are constructed in limestone ashlar with double pitched slate mansard roofs featuring dormers and moulded stacks rising to coped party walls.

Each house follows a double depth plan and presents three storeys with attics and basements. The fronts display three windows per storey, unified by a continuous coped parapet, cornice, lintel frieze, upper floor sill bands, ground floor platbands, chamfered rustication with radial voussoirs to the ground floor, and plinth. Originally, the houses featured six-over-six pane sash windows and semi-circular arched recesses containing set-back doors to the right of each entrance. Many houses have since received later projecting porches and altered windows.

Number 16, positioned adjacent and to the right of three more ornamented central houses, retains six-over-six pane sash windows above the basement with horns. It has a paired dormer to the left and single dormer to the right, with a lowered parapet in front, balconettes to the second floor, and lowered sills to the first floor. Its lower three storey mid to late 19th century porch features moulded coping to a panelled parapet, cornice, moulded archivolts, impost bands and sills to a triple arcade of semicircular arched windows with 20th century glazing to the front upper floors. Single similar windows appear on each return of the second and ground floors, with two windows to the first floor returns. The ground floor displays chamfered banded rustication and a moulded impost cornice to a semicircular panel rising to the first floor sill, featuring circular recesses and double bolection moulded doors with circular panels at their centres.

Number 17 is painted below the first floor sill band and has horned two-over-two pane sash windows with horizontal glazing bars and lowered sills to the first floor, with balconettes to the left and centre. Its single storey porch features a coped parapet, cornice and plain frieze, a smaller cornice at lintel level, and a moulded architrave to a raised and fielded six-panel door glazed to the top, with chamfered banded rustication below.

Number 18 has its parapet lowered in front of paired dormers and retains horned plate glass sash windows. Small balconettes appear to the left and centre of the second floor. The porch is similar to that of Number 17 but later, with finials to the quoins.

Number 19 has its parapet lowered in front of a triple dormer with six-over-six pane sash windows to the left and a dormer with eight-over-eight pane sash to the right. Six-over-six pane sash windows without horns appear to the second floor and basement. Lowered sills to the left and centre of the first floor feature scrolled balconettes, and the door is raised and fielded with six panels and a blocked fanlight.

Number 20 features paired dormers with two-light casement windows, horned plate glass windows to the left and centre of the second floor and ground floor, and six-over-six pane sashes elsewhere. Its two storey porch has a coped parapet and cornice, a plate glass window to the first floor front and returns, and a moulded architrave and cornice on consoles over a raised and fielded six-panel door.

Number 21 has plate glass windows with six-over-six pane sashes to the basement and paired dormers. Its single storey porch features moulded coping to the parapet, banded chamfered rustication, clasping pilasters, and a shallow flat moulded hood on consoles. The original door retains a late 19th century cut glass upper panel and late 19th century leaded lights to the returns.

Number 22 has six-over-six pane sash windows without horns, a paired dormer, and balconettes to the left and centre of the first floor. The porch is similar to that of Number 21 but with brackets rather than consoles supporting the hood.

Number 23 displays plate glass sash windows except to the triple dormer, which has six-over-six pane sash windows. The first floor has lowered sills with three panes to the lower sashes and good balconettes. A semi-circular recess to the right over a late 19th century door contains six bolection moulded panels, with a cast iron grille to a small window to the right of the door.

Number 24 lacks pots to its stacks. Its parapet is lowered in front of a large dormer, with horned plate glass sash windows and lowered sills to the second and first floor windows. Balconettes appear to the left and centres of the upper floors, plate glass sashes without horns to the ground floor, and six-over-six pane sashes to the basement. Its single storey porch has a returned cornice and blocking course, a 20th century door, and semi-circular arched recesses to the returns.

Number 25 has no pots to its stacks and features paired dormers with two-over-two pane sash windows and a lowered parapet in front. The house has horned plate glass sash windows, balconettes to the left and centre of the ground floor, and six-over-six pane sash windows to the basement. Its circa 1870 full height projecting porch is notably elaborate, featuring a French pavilion with a tapering attic storey, a diagonal pattern lead roof, and an ornamental surround to a circular window. A semicircular pediment crowns the second floor window, with cast iron colonnettes to the tripartite first floor window and a triglyph frieze. The Queen Anne style doorcase features tall voussoirs and a shouldered architrave, with a 20th century plain overlight. The porch is probably an addition by the architects Wilson, Willcox and Wilson.

Number 26 lacks pots to its stacks and has horned plate glass sash windows with a parapet lowered in front of its dormer. The door is raised and fielded with five panels and glazed to the top, with one eight-over-twelve pane sash window to the basement.

Number 27 has horned six-over-six pane sash windows, with paired windows to the dormer. Its lower three storey porch features plate glass sash windows, a returned coped parapet, returned cornice and lintel frieze to each floor, and returned sill bands to the upper floors. Three windows appear to the second floor and one larger margin pane window to the first floor with coloured glass to the corners. Similar smaller windows appear on the returns of the ground floor, with double three-panel doors featuring inverted corners to the upper panels. The ground floor displays chamfered rustication with radial voussoirs over the door.

Number 28 is similar to Number 27 except that the ground floor of its porch is plain ashlar, with a raised and fielded six-panel door set in a moulded architrave with cornice on consoles and a margin pane overlight.

Number 29 has 20th century dormers and horned plate glass sash windows, with six-over-six panes to the basement. Its single storey porch features a coped parapet, cornice, moulded architrave, cornice on consoles, a six-panel door glazed to the top, and windows to the returns.

Interior details recorded during inspections include: Number 16 contains two-panel high Georgian oak wainscoting with a mixture of Georgian and Victorian detail, and a three drawer dresser with Doric columns in the kitchen. Number 20 features Adamesque friezes and an original timber staircase. Number 22 contains an exquisite fireplace decorated with lily of the valley, English rose and cornflowers on fluted pilasters, with a reclining muse holding a lyre on the central panel. Number 24 has a very elaborate fireplace with an over mantel. Numbers 27 and 28 were converted into a single house during the 19th century by knocking out part of the dividing wall between the hall and drawing room, creating a new oval lobby. Now converted into flats, an impressive large shell arch over the oval lobby leads directly into the drawing rooms of both numbers. The doors are large and made of mahogany, with the arch supported by columns featuring high relief floral capping. Numbers 27 and 28 were listed separately on 11th August 1972.