Lansdown Place (Terrace) And Montpellier Court And Attached Railings

Lansdown Place (Terrace) and Montpellier Court and Attached Railings, Cheltenham

A terrace of 14 houses built between 1825 and 1835, now comprising houses, flats, offices and a basement shop. The development was begun by architect J.B. Papworth for Pearson Thompson and completed in similar style by R.W. and C. Jearrad.

The terrace is constructed in ashlar (some painted) over brick with a mansard slate roof, stucco and brick party-wall stacks, iron verandahs and railings. The design is almost symmetrical, with houses arranged in pairs separated by paired recessed entrance ranges. Montpellier Court projects to the right with its main facade facing the right return, and service ranges lie to the rear.

The main elevation consists of three storeys over basements, with some entrance bays rising to two storeys. The fenestration pattern is complex and carefully composed, incorporating 50 first-floor windows arranged to create rhythmic variations. The end bays of the main six-window ranges break forward; to the right, the rhythm is worked out through alternating set-back and forward-projecting bays, creating visual depth and movement across the facade.

Ashlar detailing throughout includes horizontal rustication to the ground floor, a first-floor band, frieze and cornice above the first floor, and a crowning frieze, cornice and blocking course. Entrance ranges are set back behind shared loggias. Windows are mainly original 2/2 horizontal-pane and 6/6 sash windows, many retaining blind boxes; attic windows include 6/6 sashes and some round-arched 3/3 sashes and casements. Entrances feature flights of steps with roll-edged treads leading to 6-fielded-panel doors with sidelights and overlights, several set behind paired loggias with pilaster between. Openings have round arches with imposts and tooled heads with keystones and entablature.

The right return (Montpellier Court) presents a six-window facade with a lower service range below. The central entrance to the main range comprises 6-fielded-panel double doors with sidelights and overlight, contained within a solid porch with Doric pilasters and entablature, glazed to the sides.

The rear elevations retain many original 6/6 and 8/8 sash windows; No.8 features a canted bay with 6/6 windows between 2/2 sashes.

Interiors retain original joinery including panelled shutters to some windows and panelled doors. Narrow open-well staircases (where original) feature alternate iron stick and embellished rods with wreathed handrails, notably including the staircase to Montpellier Court; service stairs have stick balusters. Plasterwork includes embellished cornices throughout.

The first-floor verandahs are fitted with Carron Company double-heart-and-anthemion motif balustrades and openwork friezes. The area railings display an embellished X-motif. Railings to the sides of steps have lancet and fleur-de-lys finials, some with dogbars. The end railings to No.14 are finished with arrowheads and embellished anthemion finials.

Building commenced in 1825, with fourteen houses completed by 1828. A further five houses were likely finished by 1830, when the Jearrad brothers purchased the development from Thompson. From that point, the terrace was completed under Jearrad's direction with minor alterations to Papworth's original design. Papworth's drawings for Lansdown Place are held in the RIBA library.

The terrace represents one of the most significant terrace designs in Britain, demonstrating through its visual depth and variation of composition a definite move away from the more rigid confines of the Classical tradition. It forms a continuous design of quasi semi-detached houses with Nos.15-29 Lansdown Place.