1-12 Alma Terrace, With Front Railings

Alma Terrace is a terrace of houses built in 1854, located on the east side of Grove Road in Portland. Constructed from dressed squared stone with slate roofs, this long terrace originally consisted of six large houses for prison wardens, but it has since been divided into 12 separate residences. The terrace is arranged in two continuous parallel ranges, with a straight joint between Nos. 8 and 9 and a slight change in the alignment of the frontages.

Each unit is two storeys high with a basement and features three windows. The windows are good replacement sashes, with 16 panes, except for the 12-pane window above the central porch, all set into deep stooled cills. The projecting gabled porch has a 12-pane window with a segmental head at the front, a plain return flank to the left, and a part-glazed door on the right; there is also a part-glazed door inside. The porches are accessed by 4 to 6 steps and form a bridge over the basement, with an additional door below. The terrace has a plinth and a mid string course, with a flight of steps to the left of each porch leading down to the basement.

The back of the terrace features three full storeys with deep-set 16-pane sashes and small service windows, all with deep cills. Each unit has a central door with a 4-pane overlight and broad projecting eaves stacks with stepped cappings. The mid string course continues around from the front.

Inside, the terrace retains stone tight-well open-string staircases with stick balusters and a hardwood wreathed handrail, along with a Doric newel at the foot. The interior also includes original or replacement panelled doors.

A notable feature of the terrace is the railings across the front of each unit, which are set on a dwarf wall and topped with fleur-de-lis heads. There is a short return run of railings leading to the steps of the porch, and the railings return to the frontage at the right-hand end of the terrace. The original terrace extended with an additional six units, which have since been demolished and replaced by a set of facsimile railings in nine bays, contributing to the continuity of the street. Alma Terrace is a well-preserved example of its type, having been restored with great sensitivity.