Regency Lodge

A villa, dating circa 1835, now divided into four dwellings. It was built as part of the development of Pittville Lawn, undertaken between 1825 and 1842, with the general layout designed by the architect John Forbes. The villa is constructed of stucco over brick, with a slate roof and stucco ridge stacks. It has a broadly L-shaped plan with a central hallway.

The architectural style is Regency, and the villa is two storeys high with a basement, featuring three first-floor windows and a single-storey garage addition to the right. The outer windows on both floors are set within slightly projecting faces. Stucco detailing includes a stepped plinth surmounted by end Doric pilasters, horizontal rustication to both floors, and ground-floor tripartite windows with Corinthian pilasters and dentil entablatures. First-floor windows feature tooled, eared architraves, while corbel brackets above the central window support a continuous crowning entablature adorned with lion masks to the cornice. A flight of steps leads to a central porch with fluted Corinthian columns in antis, the antae caps being foliate, and a dentil entablature. The porch contains four-panel double doors with fleurons to the lower panels, sidelights, and an overlight. Windows on the ground floor are horizontal-pane sashes (2/2), those on the first floor are 6/6 sashes, and basement windows are 3/6 sashes, all within plain reveals with sills. The returns of the building feature outer Ionic pilasters supporting a crowning entablature with pedimented gable ends. The rear elevation has a coped gable range with kneelers and 6/6 sashes.

The interior retains original plasterwork and joinery, including shutters to some windows, and an open-well staircase with stick balusters. A tent hood supported on scrolled brackets provides a decorative entrance to the rear. The plot was sold to Henry Haines, a local builder, for £250 on 18 November 1834, and the house was later sold to Lt-Col William Elliot of Reading for £1350 on 22 November 1839.

This is a handsome Classical villa, skilfully designed to create a three-dimensional effect. It contributes to a distinguished group of listed buildings along Pittville Lawn.