Oakfield

Oakfield is a villa, dating from approximately 1830 to 1850, and now converted into flats. It is constructed of stucco over brick, with a concealed roof and a left-hand lateral stack, and features a pergola to the return. The villa is two storeys high with a basement and has three first-floor windows. A central breakforward is a prominent feature. The stucco detailing includes a plinth surmounted by paired pilasters to the ends and breakforward, a tooled architrave, frieze, and cornice. The windows are set within tooled architraves, with those on the first floor featuring cornices, and the central first-floor window is a tripartite design with a cambered head. A central entrance has steps leading to a double four-panel door, sidelights, and an overlight, all within a porch supported by pairs of Doric pillars and featuring an architrave, frieze, cornice, and pediment. Most windows are 1/1 sashes, with a 6/6 sash configuration in the basement. The exterior also includes a crowning architrave and blocking course with copings. The left return has a 1:3 arrangement of first-floor windows, and a full-height bow containing 6/6 sashes, with tooled architraves and floating cornices on the first floor. Shutters and blind boxes are also present. Balconies with arcaded stucco detailing and pierced balustrades are attached to the outer first-floor windows. The interior was not inspected during the listing process. Subsidiary features include a pergola to the return, with scrolled uprights and frieze, and stucco balconies to the first-floor outer windows. The Park, where Oakfield is located, was originally laid out in 1833 by Thomas Billings and later developed by Samuel Daukes. The design was influenced by schemes for Regent’s Park in London. The villa showcases a good design, with its three-dimensional treatment reflecting the increasing informality of mid-19th century design.