Gotham House Including Forecourt Walls And Entrance Gates

Gotham House, a large town house now used as offices, stands on Phoenix Lane in Tiverton. Built in the early 18th century, it was thoroughly restored in 1966 by architect Clement Toy with consultant architect Raymond Erith.

The house is constructed of Flemish bond brickwork with blue headers. The rear left return features bands of rubbed brick headers, while the left return is in Flemish bond. Rubbed brick flat arches span the windows. The building has purple slatestone footings and a slate roof with glazed ridge tiles, cast-iron rainwater goods, and brick stacks with corbelled cornice and tapering yellow pots.

The plan follows a double-depth arrangement under an M-profile roof, with 2 rooms wide heated from end stacks. An open-well stair occupies a central stair hall with a through-passage. The kitchen is located in the half-basement with a service stair at the south-west end.

The exterior presents 3 storeys and a basement beneath a symmetrical 5-bay front. Giant brick pilasters flank the left and right sides and the central bay at ground and first-floor level, each with moulded caps, bases, and fluted sections beneath a deep projecting moulded cornice. Shorter pilasters rise above this cornice to the parapet. A moulded brick string runs at first-floor level. The entrance features a pilastered doorcase with a round-headed outer doorway, fanlight, and 2-leaf door. Ground and first-floor windows have segmental-headed arches with 6 over 9-pane sashes and triple keystones. Second-floor windows are smaller 4 over 8-pane sashes with a moulded brick cornice over the central window. A basement area is enclosed by iron railings.

The rear elevation is almost symmetrical with 3 bays containing 5 windows, divided by pilasters. A small blind projection at the right end may be a lavatory shaft. Platbands appear below the parapet and at ground-floor level, with additional bands above window sills in the outer bays only. Steps lead to the rear doorway, which has a segmental hood on shaped timber brackets. The doorcase is pilastered with a segmental-headed arch and panelled reveals. The 2-leaf half-glazed door is panelled below with glazing bars and margin panes, featuring intersecting glazing bars in the head. A large, impressive stair window has a round-headed architrave of fluted Doric pilasters and a rusticated arch, glazed with an 8/12 sash with intersecting glazing bars. Basement windows are segmental-headed with high-transomed casements. Ground-floor windows have rubbed brick arches and keyblocks with sash windows—6 over 9-panes to the left of the front door and 18-pane sashes to the right. Similar first-floor windows feature 6 over 9-pane sashes. Second-floor attic windows are glazed with 4 over 8-pane sashes. The left return has one ground and one first-floor segmental-headed 6 over 9-pane sash, with square-headed 4 over 8-pane sashes on the second floor.

The interior displays fine early 18th-century joinery. An open string stair features a ramped wreathed flat handrail with alternating barleysugar and fluted balusters—3 balusters to each bracketed tread. Doors are 6-panel with fielded panelled reveals, with 2-panel doors serving the service areas. The stair dado is panelled with fluted pilasters. A massive wall cornice and plaster roundel ornament the stair hall. At least one marble chimneypiece survives, featuring Corinthian columns and a frieze of sphinxes and cherubs with a cast-iron grate. Nineteenth-century additions include a butler's pantry and dumb waiter.

The forecourt walls are crowned with 20th-century cast-iron railings. Square brick gate piers are topped with urn finials.

In 1966, the front elevation's cornice was replaced and the front boundary wall was coped.