Bedford House And Attached Railings, Walls And Attached Railings Widcombe House And Attached Railings, Walls And Attached Railings

BRISTOL

ST5773SE RICHMOND HILL, Clifton 901-1/9/985 (North side) 20/03/74 Nos.22 AND 23 Widcombe House (22), Bedford House (23) and attached railings, walls and piers (Formerly Listed as: RICHMOND HILL (North side) Nos.22 AND 23)

GV II

Pair of attached houses. Deeds dated 1831. By Charles Dyer. Limestone ashlar, lateral and party wall stacks and a slate hipped roof. Double-depth plan. Neoclassical style with Greek Revival details. Each of 2 storeys, attic and basement; 4-window range. A fine symmetrical pair with 4 elevations; that to the front has a broad central pilaster, with a pedimented die over the parapet above; outer sections broken forward with doorways 1 window in from the ends, frieze, cornice and coped attic storey. Good open porticos with fluted Ionic columns to an entablature and cornice, plate-glass overlights and 6-panel doors. Architraves to windows, with a pediment to the first-floor window over the porches, narrow outer blind windows, to 6/6-pane sashes; 2-light plate-glass attic casements. The rendered return has a symmetrical 3-window range, the middle broken forward, giant pilasters to a cornice, parapet with blind outer balustrades and middle with flanking stacks and balustrade between. A small porch has a segmental-arched doorway, an overlight with glazing bars and half-glazed door; above is a large stair window with fine glazing bars, blind windows to the right and grilles to basement windows. Symmetrical rear elevation has a 4-window range, the ends broken forward with paired pilasters to a deep frieze, central pilaster to frieze forming sunken first-floor panels. Balustrade in 2 sections to the middle, and outer attic storeys with flanking paired panels with pediments. Inner shallow bays have tripartite windows with panelled heads, tripartite windows above, architraves to outer windows; 6/6-pane sashes, and 3/3-pane attic sashes. INTERIOR: entrance hall, a semicircular arch with Greek key soffit to a large stair hall with a lateral open dogleg stair, cast-iron balusters with palmettes, and a wreathed rail to curtail; panelled reveals, panelled shutters, 6-panel doors, cornices with guilloche, and marble fireplaces. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached cast-iron front basement area railings with diagonal bars, and low panelled piers and walls to the porticos; panelled, round-topped entrance piers and squared, coursed front rubble walls extending between. Part of a fine group of three 4-sided villas to the N side of Richmond Hill which "..set a new standard for suburban aspirations" (Mowl). (Mowl T: To Build The Second City: Bristol: 1991-: 159; Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural History: Bristol: 1979-: 275).

Listing NGR: ST5762173364