Lauriston House (Bank Of Scotland)

CHELTENHAM

SO9421NW QUEEN'S PARADE 630-1/17/768 Lauriston House (Bank of Scotland) 12/03/55

GV II

Villa, now bank. 1839-40; with later additions and alterations including c1960 range at rear. Stucco over brick with concealed roof, stucco ridge and rear stacks with cornices and iron windows guards. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys with basement to right return, 3 first-floor windows. End breakforwards are articulated by full-height Tower of Winds pilasters, continuous crowning dentil entablature with blocking course and copings. Plinth. Flight of 6 steps to central entrance, double 4-panel and studded doors with sidelights and pilasters between, overlight with decorative glazing bars, within porch with 4 fluted columns Tower of Winds capitals and engaged pilasters supporting heavy dentil cornice. Outer windows are tripartite with 6/6 sashes between 2/2 lugged sashes, with narrow pilasters between, those to ground floor have framing pilasters, those to first floor have balustrade with bulbous balusters. Otherwise 6/6 sashes, taller to ground floor. Tooled architrave to central, first-floor window. Basement has 8/8 sashes where original. 3-window return to left and 4-window return to right, both articulated by similar pilasters, ground-floor windows have tooled architrave, frieze and cornice. INTERIOR: to left, ground floor, deep cornice with tall acanthus motif, 2 marble fireplaces; hall has cornice with modillions and paterae; room to right has deep roll-moulded cornice; arches to stairway. First floor has some marble fireplaces. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: ground-floor windows have individual balconies with circle motif embellished with heart and acanthus. First-floor windows to right return have window boxes with scrolled lozenge. HISTORICAL NOTE: Apparently shown as laid out but not built on Merrett's Map of 1834. Dr Thomas Richardson Colledge (1796-1879) founder of the Medical Missionary Society lived in this house. A very fine villa design, articulated with considerable depth and ingenuity: the resulting 3-dimensional quality is comparable to some of the 1830s villas by Dyer in the Clifton area of Bristol. (Merrett HS: Plan of the Town of Cheltenham: 1834-).

Listing NGR: SO9432721804