Numbers 1 To 23 (Consecutive) And Attached Area Railings

Terrace of 23 consecutive houses with attached area railings, built 1838-41 in Cheltenham. Designed by R W Jearrad. The terrace is shown as semi-detached villas on Merrett's Map of 1834, but was built as a unified terrace by the time of Johnson's Map of 1838. Originally known as Lansdown Villas, it became known as Lansdown Parade by 1845.

The buildings are constructed in ashlar over brick with slate roofs, brick end and party-wall stacks, and iron area railings and window guards. The plan is of double depth with side hall and ranges to the rear.

The exterior comprises two storeys over a basement. Each house has two first-floor windows and ranges extending to the rear. The terrace features several break-forwards in its roofline, including pedimented sections. The ashlar detailing includes horizontal rustication to the basement and voussoirs over basement windows. Most windows have tooled architraves, but those to numbers 1, 8, 9, 15, 16 and 17 have ears at ground-floor level and are raised to form cambered arches; ground-floor windows have sills on feet. Doorways are fitted with Greek Doric porches incorporating architrave, frieze, cornice with guttae and blocking course. Paired porches serve numbers 1 and 2, numbers 4 and 5, numbers 12 and 13, and numbers 21 and 22; these three pairs of houses are also crowned with pediments. The porch to number 8 is missing. A continuous cornice blocking course runs across except where interrupted by the pediments. Original sashes are predominantly 6/6. To the ground floor, windows with cambered arches are tripartite, mostly with 1/1 and 6/4 lights between 3/2 sashes (one example has 12/12 lights); the straight-headed tripartite window to the left has 6/6 between 2/2 sashes. Several windows retain original blind boxes. Entrances are approached by roll-edged steps and have mainly 4-panel doors, some with glazing, overlights and decorative glazing. The rear elevations retain many original 6/6 and 8/8 sashes, some with margin-lights. Number 12 retains a conservatory with 8/8 sashes and margin-lights.

Interior features vary in elaboration. Number 6 contains a narrow open-well staircase with stick balusters and wreathed handrail; the drawing-room has panelled dividing doors and coved cornices with daisy ornament. Number 12 has a similar staircase; its drawing-room features a scrolled grape frieze and acanthus cornice, with two marble fireplaces having carved flowers to the corners. Number 8 has a similar staircase and retains marble fireplaces to the drawing-room with circle motifs to the corners and deep coving. Number 13 has a similar staircase with an archway to the hall supported on acanthus corbel brackets, embellished cornices with egg-and-dart motif, and two marble Regency fireplaces with circle motifs to the corners. The other properties were not inspected in detail. Cellar storage space is reported to continue under the pavement.

The area railings to numbers 1 and 2 have stick balusters; the remainder predominantly have X-motif railings. Window guards to the first floor appear only at number 1, whilst several ground-floor windows have guards with varied motifs.

The terrace is notable as part of the former Lansdowne Estate and represents a successful example of suburban town planning. General Sir William Wish KGB (1787-1853), the Conqueror of the Punjab, lived at number 14. Sir Charles Darling KGB (1809-70), a Colonial Administrator, lived at number 7.