Number 1 And Attached Railings Oxford Buildings With Attached Railings To Numbers 4 And 6

Number 1 and attached railings, Oxford Buildings, with attached railings to numbers 4 and 6, is a terrace of four houses dating to circa 1790 to 1820. It is located on London Road, Cheltenham, and includes number 1 Hewlett Road. The buildings were depicted on the Post Office Map of 1820 and have undergone later additions and alterations, including an attached service range to number 2. The construction is of ashlar facing brick, with a slate roof, and wrought iron balconies, porches, and railings. The design is based on a double-depth plan with service wings to the rear.

The exterior presents three storeys over a basement, with twelve first-floor windows (three per house). First- and second-floor bands are present, with the second-floor band inscribed "OXFORD BUILDINGS.” Original six-over-six sash windows are found where extant, with taller windows on the first floor. Basement windows are of a three/three or four/four pane design, all set in plain reveals with sills. The left-hand entrances feature three steps leading to four-panel doors, some with partial glazing, and fanlights with batwing and circle motif glazing bars. The property is topped with a low parapet and copings. The left return displays three storeys and three first-floor windows, with a first-floor band surmounted by pilaster strips to the ends and between windows, which interrupt the second-floor band. First-floor windows are six/six sashes, while second-floor windows are three/three sashes, all in plain reveals with tooled architraves and sills; the second-floor windows include cornices and aprons, with a further apron to the central first-floor windows. The ground floor features twentieth-century plate-glass shop-front windows. A central entrance has a part-glazed four-panel door with sidelights and overlight, topped with a low parapet and copings. The rear of the building retains some three/three sashes.

The interior of number 1 Hewlett Road features a marble fireplace with fluted sides, original joinery including panelled shutters to several windows, and six-fielded-panel doors. Other interiors were not inspected.

Subsidiary features include balconies to the first-floor outer windows with enriched rods and central scroll panels, with similar balconies to the left return. Porches, with the exception of number 6, have lozenge and scrolls, oval, and lattice motif to the uprights, though the tent roof to number 2 is missing. The forecourt lancet railings and gate to number 1 Hewlett Road (London Road facade) feature urns to the stanchions. Area railings to number 4 are of embellished rods, while number 6 has stick area railings.