Description

GLOUCESTER

SO81NW DENMARK ROAD 844-1/3/105 (South side) 12/03/73 Hillfield House (Formerly Listed as: LONDON ROAD (North side) Hillfield House)

II

Large house, now local government offices. c1867. By John Giles. Built by Albert Estcourt, master builder, for Charles Walker, timber merchant. Brick with the principal facades faced in ashlar; low pitched, hipped slate roofs, stone stacks. PLAN: a large block with a central, top-lit atrium which provides access to the principal rooms; the main doorway, on the east side under a tall, square tower, is entered from a porte cochere; at the rear, on the north side of a service yard, a long wing projects from the main block. EXTERIOR: two storeys and cellar, four storey tower. The entrance front asymmetrical with the porte cochere and tower slightly off-centre and the tower and a short wing to left projecting from the main alignment; plinth, moulded string at ground-floor sill level, entablature at first-floor level, band at first-floor sill level and crowning entablature; raised quoins at the corners of the left hand wing; the entablature of the porte cochere is supported at the corners by slender square piers flanked by columns-in-antis on pedestals, all with foliated capitals, roof balcony above with a balustrade of turned balusters between corner piers; behind the porte cochere quoin strips at the corners of the ground floor of the tower, and the entrance doorway with fanlight in an arched opening with architrave frame and raised keystone, two-leaf, fielded panel doors. On the ground floor tall arched sashes: a pair of sashes to right of the tower, a single sash further right and to left of the tower, two sashes to the front of the left hand wing, all in openings with foliated impost capitals and moulded arches with raised, foliated keystones; a smaller sash to each side of the tower in similar openings. On the first floor the same pattern of fenestration in openings similar to the ground floor except for the two sashes to the front of the wing in openings with architraves and cornices on console brackets. On the first floor of the tower a pair of arched sashes and on the second floor three arched lancet windows; the third floor

contains a prospect viewing chamber: triplets of three tall arched sashes in each face set in arcades with a continuous moulded impost, moulded arches with raised keystones; on each face a balcony with turned balusters between solid piers and supported on brackets; the crowning cornice is supported on closely set, moulded brackets; the low pitched pyramidal roof is crowned by a decorative wrought-iron finial. The garden front facing south is symmetrical with three central bays flanked by short wings two bays wide linked by a single storey three-bay arcaded loggia with columns on pedestals, foliated capitals, moulded archivolts with raised bracket keystones and foliated spandrels; on the ground floor a short projection on the front of both wings each with a pair of arched sashes in two-bay arcaded openings with details similar to the loggia; the crowning entablature on the projections is returned onto the fronts of the wings and the cornice and frieze continues above the loggia; crowning modillion cornice to the second storey; raised quoins to the corners of the wings; on the second-floor sashes in openings with architrave surrounds and cornices on console brackets; across the width of the front a terrace approached by a central flight of steps. The north side of the main block and the rear wing is faced in brick, sashes on both floors mostly in openings with segmental arches. INTERIOR: entrance lobby leading into a richly decorated, central, full height, top-lit atrium with cantilevered balcony on all sides at first-floor level; the atrium entered through a three-bay colonnade of columns with foliated capitals and moulded arches, on the other walls at ground--floor level and the walls at first-floor level applied arcades with panelled pilasters with foliated capitals and semicircular moulded arches, and crowning entablature, the panels of the pilasters at first-floor level are carved with drops of fruit and flowers; the entry to the staircase is through the central archway in the three-bay arcade in end wall opposite the entrance; dog-leg staircase with stone steps and balustrade with square, panelled newel and bulbous balusters opens onto the atrium balcony which has an elaborate wrought-iron balustrade supported on carved stone brackets on each side; in the arches of the arcade bays infilled doorways to the principal rooms on both levels richly carved tympana, and in the spandrels carved roundels; in the stair well two semicircular arched moulded stone windows with richly coloured stained glass; other rooms not inspected but believed to contain contemporary fittings. HISTORY: the house had extensive grounds which are now a public park (Hillfield Rest Garden). Originally the building

was approached through Entrance Gates in London Road (qv). A good example of a mid C19 villa, particularly notable for its fine interior.

Listing NGR: SO8426519067

External Links

• Hillfield House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q26561590

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)