Laurel Lodge And Percy House With Attached Area Railings To Laurel Lodge

A pair of semi-detached villas, Laurel Lodge and Percy House, dating from 1826-7, originally built as residences for E and E Wallace. By 1835, they were in use as a school. The buildings are constructed of stucco over brickwork, with a concealed roof, a stucco party wall stack and iron area railings.

The villas are two storeys with a basement, and an attic to the centre part, with a 1:3:1 arrangement of first-floor windows. A blind, two-storey range is set back on the left, with the outer bays projecting forward. The stucco detailing includes four Doric pilasters on the ground and first floors, supporting a frieze, with full-height pilasters marking the projecting parts. A continuous cornice sits above the first floor, topped by a blocking course with copings to the attic. The first floor has original 10-pane French windows where present, with lattice-glazed bars to the overlights; the three central windows retain their overlights. Replacement sashes are present on the ground floor, except for a single French window with a lattice-glazed overlight on the left side. The attic has 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes, and the basement contains 20th-century windows. All windows are in plain reveals with copings.

Projecting porches flank the forward-projecting bays. These porches feature paired Doric pillars, a low parapet, and copings, leading to flights of steps with a spreading, roll-edged design to the left of the 4-panel, part-glazed doors and overlights. A further entrance is located on the set-back range to the far left, featuring a 20th-century door.

The interiors have not been inspected. The area railings to the left feature embellished rods.

The buildings were constructed as part of a wider development for Joseph Pitt between 1825 and 1842, with the overall layout designed by the architect John Forbes. They are part of a well-preserved group of buildings around a central grassed area in Wellington Square.