12-30, CASTLE ROAD

A terrace of ten houses, probably dating to the 1870s and not depicted on the 1866 Ordnance Survey map. The houses are of Italianate style and are constructed with slate roofs and stacks featuring rendered shafts with dentil cornices. Originally finished with a cement render, the surfaces are now mainly colourwashed. The plan form is double-depth, with the end houses accessed from side returns; the others are single-fronted with Nos. 14-20 having main entrances to the right and Nos. 22-28 to the left.

The two-storey houses, some with basements, have deep eaves with moulded details and verge brackets. Stucco detailing includes platbands, bands to the eaves and verges (the latter being fretted to the end terrace houses), a moulded sill band, and round-headed ground-floor windows with pilastered, moulded architraves and key blocks. A typical example to the left of centre has a two-window front with the right-hand bay projecting slightly and having a shallow hipped roof with flanking stacks. This bay contains a round-headed doorway with a six-panel front door and plain overlight. Above the door is a dentil cornice and a section of blind balustrading. A tall, round-headed window is positioned above, with a pilastered, moulded architrave and key block. The ground floor windows to the left are similar and round-headed, while the first-floor windows are square-headed with ovolo-moulded frames. Originally, the windows featured 2 over 2-pane sashes with horizontal glazing bars, although some have been altered. The arrangement is mirrored to the right of centre. The end houses project forward and have gables at the front, each with two round-headed windows on the ground floor and mirrored windows above. No. 12 has steps leading to a front door on the left return, with a gabled projection containing two round-headed windows. No. 20 incorporates a 20th-century addition to its return. The interiors have not been inspected but are likely to retain interesting original features. This is a well-preserved stuccoed terrace that draws details from contemporary Torquay villas.