Graham Court

Graham Court is a complex of flats and houses, originally built as a hospital around 1874 and later used as council offices. Designed by JH Middleton, the building showcases a variety of materials and styles. The brickwork is notable for its use of large bricks laid in English bond, complemented by ashlar dressings, timber framing, tile roofs, and brick stacks.

The main front of the building presents a picturesque Ruskinian Gothic composition. A two-story section advances, featuring steep-pitched gables. A decorative two-light window is located at mid-height within a half-hipped dormer. A timber-framed porch, with a large plank door enclosed in modern glazing, occupies the internal corner. To the right, there is a three-light window with cusped plate tracery above a mullioned casement, with decorative brick voussoirs and segmental arches at both ground and first floor levels. Further gables have raised coped verges and kneelers, with paired blue and red brick voussoirs.

The return wing to Hollams Road is characterized by two-story timber framing above brick with jetties and a broad gable facing the garden. The garden front displays a bold gable with patterned framing and small-paned casement windows, with jetties over brickwork. A former kitchen range, now linked to the main block by a modern flat-roofed addition, retains a raised central lantern – a feature that recalls the original institutional use.

The interior preserves original features, including a staircase with a heavy balustrade, octagonal newels and flat-moulded balusters under a double rail, and stained glass inscribed 'He went about doing good.' An original framed, ledged, braced, and battened entrance door remains, along with original furniture. The building is noted for its bold design and excellent external condition, which has endured several changes of use. Middleton is recognized for his Gothic Revival villas and churches in Cheltenham; Graham Court provides an interesting example of his work in a more eclectic style.