Fullwood (Cheltenham And Gloucester College) And Attached Area Railings

A villa now forming part of Cheltenham College of Higher Education, with attached area railings. Built in 1847 with later additions and alterations, the house underwent modification including a verandah to the garden facade around the 1890s for Mrs MacKnight Crawford of Lauriston Castle, and a mid-20th-century range was added to the east.

The building is constructed of stucco over brick, with a flattened hipped slate roof and three stuccoed chimney stacks with cornices. A timber verandah and iron area railings complete the exterior features. The plan is double-depth with a central hallway.

The main front elevation presents two storeys over a basement with attic rooms above. Five first-floor windows are a prominent feature. Stucco detailing includes quoins at the angles, a moulded first-floor band, and a crowning moulded cornice surmounted by moulded brackets with wide eaves. Windows have tooled architraves; those on the ground floor feature cornices on console brackets, while first-floor windows have sills on feet. The windows themselves consist of 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes and 1/1 horned sashes, all set in plain reveals with sills. The central first-floor window is divided between two smaller windows. Three attic dormers feature 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes and pedimented gables on corbel brackets; the outer dormers break the eaves line.

A concealed basement runs beneath the house. The central entrance is accessed via a flight of roll-edged steps leading to a solid projecting porch with Doric pilasters and a dentil entablature with blocking course. Early 20th-century studded double doors with a fanlight occupy the surround, which features a moulded head and Doric pilasters.

The garden facade also displays two storeys with attics and five first-floor windows. Stucco detailing here includes quoins at angles and a crowning moulded cornice surmounted by brackets supporting wide eaves. Windows feature tooled architraves, with 2/2 horizontal-pane sashes where original; first-floor examples have blind boxes and sills, all in plain reveals. Three attic roof dormers contain 1/1 sashes and pedimented gables on brackets. The ground-floor verandah features a flight of steps to a central entrance with double part-glazed doors, an overlight, and a gable with decorative barge boards. The lower stage features latticed sections and plate-glass with shaped mullions and a continuous overlight.

The interior retains original plasterwork and joinery. The area railings to the front facade feature an X-motif design.

Fullwood was the principal residence within The Park, a development initiated by 1833 by its owner Thomas Billings as an oval tree-lined drive with a central park. For a brief period in the mid-19th century, this central park functioned as a zoological garden. In 1839 the development was purchased by architect Samuel Daukes, who continued the building programme. The Park represents one of the principal developments influenced by White's and Nash's schemes for Regent's Park (1809–11) in London. By 1823 Fullwood had become an Ursuline Ladies College, and in 1931 the estate passed to St Mary's College. The house forms a good group with the Entrance to Fullwood and the Boathouse, also within The Park. A modern block to the north-east is not of special architectural or historic interest.