Description

1.
1042 HARMOOR ROAD

Old Park House
(Annexe of Roundaway
Hospital)
ST 96 SE 5/252

II

2.
Circa 1820-30 mansion in neo-classical style, enlarged and interior altered
in 1930's and recently. 2 tall storeys faced in Bath stone on a slightly
projecting plinth. Block sill course to 1st floor, panelled block cornice,
parapet and moulded coping.
The entrance front faces west and has a fine but unusual elevation consisting
of a concave centre, the outer bays splayed at an acute angle extending
beyond the body of the building rather as an arrow head. The outer bays
have recessed flanking strips and either side of the centre are broad but
shallow piers, the sill course, cornice, parapet and coping breaking forward
over them. The concave centre has a lst floor recessed tripartite window,
curving with wall. The centre light is a French casement with marginal
glazing, flanked by recessed pilaster strips with fluted brackets supporting
recessed frieze, the cornice projecting over. The sill course is carried
in below side lights. To the left and right of window are blind round headed
niches.
The ground floor repeats the design with niches, and the door set in a similar
tripartite frame, double with 6 geometric panels, rectangular fanlight with
2 circular panes.
In front and following line of wall starts a concave Doric portico on a
shallow plinth with a bowed step to the centre. The entablature has a panelled
frieze and the cornice is returned on wall as a stringcourse. Blocking
course over carrying a delicate diamond pattern wrought iron balcony with
lead rosettes. The angled flanking bays are of 2 windows each, recessed,
sash, glazing bars, block sills to ground floor. A rectangular bay faced
in the same Bath stone has been added to the ground floor on the right hand;
plinth, block cornice and small parapet with moulded coping, 1 window each
side, sash, glazing bars, block sills. The front window retains upper sash,
but has been converted to door below. All windows on outer bays have fretted
blind cases and their return fronts to main block have blind windows.
The south front has a centre block of 4 similar sash windows. The ground
floor has been altered to a sun lounge but has a Bath stone base, pilasters
and cornice to the left side an attractive French window with marginal glazing
and pointed upper panes. This front is splayed out again to east but with
altered fenestration. East wing added in 1937, rendered front and fenestration
in same style as original. The interior has been very much altered since
its use as an Old Peoples Home, but the present Reading Room has a fine
early C19 mantlepiece with anthemion mouldings to frame, the mantle with
centre piece of lyre and flutes entwined with ribbons, the side sections
decorated with delicate vases and urns draped and linked by swaggs set between
dentil and egg and dart mouldings. The fireplace itself is entirely lined
with Cl8 blue and white figurative Dutch tiles. The present Dining Room
has a shallow apsed end to south west and round headed niches either side
of fireplace. Original frieze has delicate mouldings of swagg and urn type
with scrollwork.

Listing NGR: ST9959360351

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26541902

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)