Description

1207/0/10125
27-AUG-02

MERTON ROAD
265 AND ATTACHED FORECOURT WALL AND RAILINGS

II

Factory office. Built in 1928 to the designs of Percy Sharp for George Mason and Co Ltd, manufacturers of OK Sauce. Art Deco style. Brick built, Flettons visible to rear but other three sides clad in cream faience with decorative mouldings. Roof concealed by parapet is hipped and now clad in later C20 pantiles. Original cast iron casement windows throughout. Symmetrical building of two storeys: fifteen window range. Projecting central porch and end pavilions.
EXTERIOR: Entrance front has paired bracket eaves cornice and moulded band above first floor. Above the three central windows is a ramped up parapet and flagstaff. Central first floor window is round-headed with moulded bracket and flanked by two mullioned and transomed casements, all with original frosted glass. Projecting porch has four plain pilasters, three panels, central cornice on console brackets and date of construction in Roman numerals (A. MCMXXV111. D). Architrave has bead and reel moulding and double doors with six fields panels in total. Four marble steps. On either side are five windows with large tripartite mullioned and transomed casements having metal bases with three panels and fasces. Ground floor windows are mainly mullioned and transomed casements but central windows are circular with enriched keystone and pivoting casement. The end bays have curved pediment, circular opening with decoration of fasces, first floor French window with enriched keystone flanked by sidelights, balcony supported on brackets with cast iron railings and two casement windows to ground floor. Attached to these projecting end wings is a low forecourt wall faced with cream faience with cast iron railings with projecting principals with circular design. Side elevations have similar curved pediments with oculi, bracket cornice and moulded band above first floor. The bay nearest to the front has a large blank window with enriched keystone and motif of fasces to the architrave, a false balcony and two plain casements to the ground floor. Recessed section to the rear has two casements to first floor and large casements to ground floor. Rear elevation is of brick with stone lintels and cast iron casements.
INTERIOR: Vestibule retains ovolo moulding to the ceiling. Entrance Hall retains two full-height piers. Well staircase to left of centre in Jacobethan style with square panelled newel posts with knops and decorated stick balusters. The landing has two Ionic piers and twin Ionic pilasters and the ceiling is panelled with ovolo moulding. The first floor end right room has a Jacobethan style stepped painted brick fireplace with brackets and applied timberframing with two large chamfered upright posts with solid brackets, thinner ceiling joists, wall framing of thin scantling and plank door.
HISTORY: Sauce production ended in 1968 and the building was acquired by "Autocue".
No 265 Merton Road is a stylish 1928 Art Deco style purpose-built factory faced in cream faience. It is unaltered externally and internally retains an original staircase, landing features and other internal fittings.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26380496

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)