Numbers 2 To 12 And Attached Forecourt Walls And Railings

Numbers 2 to 12 and their attached forecourt walls and railings form part of a planned development dating to the 1860s, designed by George Wightwick. The buildings are constructed of stucco, with stucco detailing, and have dry slate mansard roofs hidden behind a parapet band. There are attic windows, generally with sash glazing, and rendered copings between the roofs, with brick stacks, some having old clay pots, rising above. The houses are arranged with a double-depth plan, mirroring each other in pairs, with paired entrances. The right-hand house is a half-pair, whilst the six houses to the right of this were destroyed in the Blitz.

The exterior presents three storeys plus an attic over a basement, with each house having a three-window frontage. The windows are sash, some with glazing bars. Ground-floor openings are within recessed panels with segmental arches, with sill bands and giant pilasters between the houses to the upper floors. The windows on the upper floors have recessed architraves. There are overlights and panelled doors.

The interior of Number 11 features a geometric staircase in a circular well, a vaulted vestibule, and curved doorcases with key-motif decoration. The first floor has tapered and eared doorcases and cornices to ceilings. Number 12 is similar but lacks the ground-floor curved doors and key-motif decoration to the doorcases.

The forecourt walls are low-plinth structures surmounted by wrought-iron railings with vase balusters. These buildings are part of an important planned group of terraces and villas by Foulston and Wightwick on the Hoe, demonstrating Plymouth’s role in early 19th-century town planning.