Description

CHELTENHAM

SO9421NE MONTPELLIER DRIVE 630-1/18/524 (North side) 12/03/55 Regent House with attached railings, gate, gate piers and boundary wall (Formerly Listed as: MONTPELLIER DRIVE Regent House) (Formerly Listed as: VITTORIA WALK Boundary wall and gatepiers to NW of Regent House and W of 16 Montpellier Walk)

GV II

Villa, with attached railings, gate, gate piers and boundary wall, now residential home. c1825 with later additions and alterations (late C20 range at right not included). Architect, JB Papworth for Pearson Thompson (his home). Ashlar over brick with concealed roof, end stucco stacks and iron railings and gate with ashlar piers and pinkish-brown brick walls. Double depth plan with central hallway. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys on basement, 3 first-floor windows with 2-storey, 2-window range set back at right. First-floor sill band; second-floor band; surmounting frieze and cornice with blocking course. First floor has 6/6 sashes, that to centre has tooled architrave with frieze and cornice. Second floor has 3/3 sashes. All in plain reveals and with sills. Ground floor has outer tripartite 6/6 between 2/2 sashes in plain reveals with cambered arched recess to head. Basement has 8/8 and 2/2 sashes. Central entrance has part-glazed doors with margin-lights and fanlight within glazed conservatory and projecting porch which has, to street line a 6-panelled door with architrave with pilasters, frieze, cornice and blocking course. To sides of porch are round-arched windows with margin lights. Range to right has 6/6 and 3/3 sashes. Rear: to left a 2-storey canted bay window. Several 6/6 sashes remain. INTERIOR: retains many original features including plasterwork and joinery: open-well staircase has alternate stick and embellished iron balusters with wreathed handrail and carved tread ends, octagonal skylight to stairwell; rear room has ceiling rose with honeysuckle motif and guilloche motif to cornice, marble fireplace on acanthus corbel brackets; front room cornice has guilloche motif; Regency marble fireplace; doorcases have fluted architraves and fleurons to cornices. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: gate at left of porch, then spearhead

railings with bars and dogbars curved on plan for approx 8m, anthemion finials to stanchions. To right, similar railings for approx 5m to gate, then pier with panelled shaft, lozenge panel to frieze and moulded cap. Boundary walls abut railings at left and extend to left return for approx 50m with pedestrian plank gate, ending at similar ashlar pier. HISTORICAL NOTE: this is one of the few remaining villas in Cheltenham that can be attributed to Papworth and, as Verey notes, it forms 'the prototype of the small Papworth type of house of 3 bays, with 3-light windows - and segmental recess above - either side of the front door'. Along with his son Henry, Pearson Thompson was the developer of the Montpellier and Lansdown Estates. Forms an architectural unit with Stables and Carriage House to Regent House with boundary wall and gate piers (qv). Boundary wall and gate piers listed 14.12.83. (The Buildings of England: Verey D: Gloucestershire: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: London: 1970-: 143).



Listing NGR: SO9480321838

External Links

• Wikidata Q26397873

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Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)