St Angela'S Convent, Attached Front Basement Area Railings And Garden Wall

A pair of attached houses, dating from around 1830 and likely designed by Charles Dyer, with alterations made in the mid-19th century. The buildings are now used as a convent. Constructed from limestone ashlar with a party wall and lateral stacks, they have a slate mansard roof. The design follows a double-depth plan and is in a Neoclassical style. The pair presents three storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a nine-window front elevation. The layout is nearly symmetrical, with a 2:3:3:1 window arrangement; the central section is stepped forward and features a rusticated ground floor, a second-floor sill band, a cornice, and a parapet with openings for four dormers. A raised central panel is also present. Single-story porches are located at each end. The porch to the right has a distyle-in-antis Doric colonnade leading to an entablature with a dentil cornice. Each doorway features pilasters, a moulded lintel, and a two-leaf, eight-panel door. The windows are plain, with canted bays on the inner side of the entrances. A full-height canted bay is positioned to the left, featuring moulded reveals and faceted aprons with fluting on either side. The central section has a full-width first-floor concrete balcony with lattice iron railings, and matching basket balconies on the second floor. Flagged basement areas are covered by cast-iron grilles. The interior features an axial passage with a modillion cornice. A rear, central, dog-leg staircase incorporates cast-iron splat balusters and foliate newels. Architraves are fluted around six-panel doors, and fluted marble surrounds fireplaces, complemented by Greek Revival-style mouldings. Original features include attached cast-iron basement area railings on each end. The front garden is enclosed by rubble walls with railings and capped ashlar Pennant piers, including two-leaf cast-iron gates with dog bars. The buildings form part of a group of fine villas extending west from Litfield Place, alongside Camp House, also associated with Dyer’s work.