Numbers 17 And 19 And Attached Railings

A pair of semi-detached villas, numbers 17 and 19, were constructed around 1826-30. The buildings are stucco-faced over brick, with a central brick and stucco stack topped with a cornice. They have attached iron railings and a balcony. The architectural plan is a double-depth form, incorporating side halls and a full-height service range to the rear.

The exterior is two storeys high with a basement level, featuring six windows on the first floor (arranged 3:3). Stucco detailing includes horizontal rustication to the ground floor, flat arches over openings, a first-floor band, and elliptically arched architraves to the first-floor windows, with sills resting on decorative feet. A frieze with wide eaves on brackets and incised panels separates the first floor from the eaves. The first floor has horizontally-pane 2/2 sash windows; the ground floor windows are 1/1 sashes. Set-back entrances are positioned at each end, leading to 4-panel doors with sidelights and overlights via flights of roll-edged steps. The rear of the building retains some original 6/6 and 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes. The side elevations also feature 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes.

The interior retains original joinery, including panelled shutters, although the rest of the interior has not been inspected. The attached railings to the sides of the steps incorporate a wreathed handrail and continuous ground-floor balconies with alternate rods and embellished rods. Numbers 17 and 19 form a group with numbers 3-19 (odd) and 4-18 (even) on Sydenham Villas Road.