1-13 (Inclusive Nos) Claremont Court

1–13 Claremont Court

Modernist municipal flatted housing scheme designed by Basil Spence and Partners (Peter Ferguson as partner in charge, Richard Cassidy as job architect, with T Harley Haddow as engineers), built between 1959 and 1962.

The scheme comprises two L-plan blocks of four storeys and basement (partially carried on pilotis), consisting of flats and maisonettes in separate wings. Two short rows of single-storey cottages sit to the south-west of the flatted blocks, partially enclosing two separate landscaped courtyards. A canopied walkway occupies the north-west at the courtyard entrance. Eight lock-up garages are positioned to the south-east of the housing site. The ground slopes away to the north-east, revealing the basement faced in granite setts.

The buildings are constructed with a painted reinforced concrete frame forming dressings and courses, with external infill walls of exposed red and brown brick, painted brick, harled brick and vertical painted timber boarding. The common entrance stairs to the N-S flatted wings feature a timber door with glazed upper part, a large glazed sidelight, and a rectangular fanlight above. Concrete balconies have single-leaf glazed doors. Concrete cills are throughout. A partially open common concrete staircase at the apex of each L-plan links the wings; steel balustrades with gridded insets support a dominant timber handrail.

The northern L-plan block contains an N-S flatted wing (numbered 1–13) supported on pilotis with a set-back ground floor. The west elevation fronting Claremont Street displays 15 bays of stepped banded fenestration with recessed drying areas. A timber canopy with raised timber lettering spelling 'CLAREMONT COURT' is supported on slender painted steel columns projecting from the south elevation. The east (courtyard) elevation has regular fenestration with recessed drying areas. The E-W maisonette wing (numbered 14–35) contains 13 bays with regular fenestration to the north elevation, recessed at ground and second floor to form external walkways. The south (courtyard) elevation is near-symmetrical, with maisonettes divided by full-height brick pilasters, continuous balconies at ground and third floors, and individual balconies at first and third floors, all with banded fenestration.

The southern L-plan block is of similar design and is abutted to the northern block at its north-east corner, connected by an external cantilevered walkway at second floor level. Its N-S flatted wing (numbered 38–46) is three storeys tall. The west elevation incorporates a battered, squared rubble basement which projects outward and includes a fragment of an earlier building, marked by a round-arched, brick-headed opening. The E-W maisonette wing (numbered 47–60) has a stair tower in the outer left bay of its north elevation.

Two short rows of cottages (numbers 36–37 and 61–63) are single-storey, two-bay, asymmetrical structures to the south and north respectively. They are constructed of harled brick and granite sett gables to the east and west elevations. Each cottage has a rectangular window in the left bay, a square window in the right bay, and an off-centre entrance door.

Many windows have been replaced with uPVC units, though they broadly follow the original glazing pattern, evident at properties 7, 27 and 58. The flatted blocks have flat roofs with drying areas; the maisonette wings have drying areas; the cottages have pitched copper roofs. Original door fittings remain to the common entrance doors. Some original letterboxes with stamped and painted numbers survive.

The interiors (partially observed in 2010) retain simple plan-forms for flats and maisonettes. Some service hatches between kitchen and living room remain, along with some original ironmongery and door fittings. Pram stores are located in the basement.

The row of eight lock-up garages to the north-east is constructed of painted brick with vertically boarded timber doors.