1, South Parade

House, now of mixed use, dating from 1743, by John Wood the Elder. It is constructed of limestone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof. The house, three storeys high with an attic and basement, projects forward from its neighbours and forms the left-hand end of a twenty-nine-bay Palladian terrace. A platband is present at first-floor level, inscribed in capitals with the words “SOUTH PARADE.” A modillion cornice sits above, topped by a balustraded parapet. The windows are late 19th-century plate glass sashes, set within original openings with plain architraves and cornice heads on the first floor. The main entrance features a six-panel door with a pediment supported by console brackets. Wrought iron front area railings now stand in place of the original stone balustrade; the basement window openings have been blocked. The mansard roof has two flat-topped dormers and an ashlar stack without pots. The elevation to Pierrepont Street is of four bays, the southern three projecting forward, emphasizing the end of the terrace. An aedicular door surround with a pediment carried on consoles is in the second bay from the right; the panelled door here has been altered. Matching window surrounds are present on the front elevation; the left-hand pair has 19th-century plate glass windows, while the right-hand pair is blind, with the ground-floor window to the right of the door now missing. A sill band to the first floor is inscribed “PIERREPONT STREET” in sunk capitals. This is followed by a modillion cornice and parapet, with three flat-topped casement dormers. Wrought iron area railings are also present here. The interior remains uninspected. John Wood’s ‘Essay’ records the corner house on South Parade was built in 1743, marking the start of the street’s construction. It is part of the unfinished John Wood scheme for the Abbey Orchard (1740-1749), a significant urban development built to a single overall design. This prominent corner property retains its stone parapet balustrade, which has largely been dismantled on the other properties of the terrace.