18 and 19, Downleaze

A pair of attached houses dating circa 1890, possibly designed by H Dare Bryan. The houses are built of snecked Lias rubble with limestone dressings, featuring brick gable and ridge stacks and a slate and tile hip roof. They are arranged with a double-depth plan and exhibit an eclectic late Victorian style with Queen Anne influences.

The entrances are located in the side walls, featuring elliptical arches to battened two-leaf doors with semicircular-arched overlights, and fluted consoles to the cornices. Adjacent to the entrances are oval, keyed stair lights. The front outer gables project slightly and have ground-floor canted bays with Ipswich windows and patterned glazing bars above the transom, accompanied by balustraded balconies. First-floor windows are paired with elliptical arches and keys, while the second floor has three-light sashes with semicircular-arched heads. A round, central basin is positioned in front of the gables, with a panel above incorporating a swag, pediment, and a brick and stone relieving arch. The top of the gables displays striped brick and stone, accented by an oval light and terracotta decoration. Ground-floor inner windows have paired casements below a pulvinated frieze and pediment, with stained glass above the transom. Above these are two elliptical-arched sashes, and paired second-floor flat-headed plate-glass sashes. The ground floors are separated by a buttress beneath a pilaster on the coped party wall.

The interiors feature side entrance halls and open-well stairs with turned balusters and square newels with ball finials. The doors are consistent with those used in Bryan’s other Downleaze houses, potentially indicating this pair as a preceding design. The houses are included in the listing primarily for their group value.