Imperial House And Attached Wall And Railings

This is a house, now used as offices, built around 1823. It has an attached wall and railings and is located on Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham. The exterior is stucco over brick, with concealed roof, and stucco end stacks. It has wrought-iron window guards and railings.

The house is three storeys high, with a basement, and has three first-floor windows, with a one-window-range set back to the right. There are first- and second-floor bands, a crowning frieze and cornice, and a blocking course along the top. The ground and first floors have 6/6 sash windows, the ground floor windows being taller, while the second floor has 3/3 sashes, all within plain reveals with sills. A central porch has quoins to the angles, steps leading to a six-panel door with fanlight, all within plain reveals with keystones and a frieze, cornice and blocking course. The right range mirrors this style with two additional, smaller inserted sashes.

Inside, original joinery remains, including window shutters and six-panel doors in fluted architraves with masks. A narrow, open-well staircase dating from around 1900 features carved newels. The porch contains a renewed door with a lozenge frieze to the fanlight, which has circle glazing bars. The interior was otherwise not inspected.

The first-floor windows have balconies with embellished rods and a central scrolled lozenge panel. Low walls with arrowhead railings are positioned to the right. The rear of the building has a two-storey verandah with lozenge and rod detail to the uprights and lattice friezes to the first-floor balcony, which features embellished rods and a circle and lozenge frieze. A single window guard is similar in style to those on the front. Ground-floor window boxes are ornate. There are two ornate window boxes to the ground floor.

The attached wall and railings are a subsidiary feature. The property is part of a good group of 1820s villas along Montpellier Parade.