67 Preston Street, 22-25 Regency Square and attached Railings, Brighton and Hove, The City of Brighton and Hove

Summary

Terraced houses and railings of around 1818, attributed to Amon and Amon Henry Wilds, with later extension to the rear of 67 Preston Street.

Description

Terraced houses and railings of around 1818, attributed to Amon and Amon Henry Wilds, with a later C19 phase to the rear of 67 Preston Street, remodelled in the C20.

MATERIALS: brick with painted stucco render, under slate roofs.

PLAN: the original phase of 67 Preston Street is entered from the side in Preston Street and has two rooms to each floor, above a lit basement. The later-C19 phase to the rear has a seperate entrance and stairs and is laid out as a shop to the ground floor with offices above and below. Numbers 22-25 Regency Square are entered from the front in Regency Square and although not inspected, probably have a similar two room per floor plan to to the original phase of 67 Preston Street.

EXTERIOR: 67 Preston Street and numbers 22-24 Regency Square are of five storeys including a basement and attic and number 25 has a full height top floor, where it steps up to meet a later infill terrace. Each house follows a similar arrangement with stone steps down to a basement level entrance and in the case of 22-25, up to the main entrance. They have a triple-height bow window above a tripartite, multi-pane, basement window and a rusticated treatment to the ground floor including voussoirs above the segmental main entrances and the heads of the ground floor bow windows (missing at the top on 22, 24 and 25). The first floors have a curved balcony supported on timber console brackets to 67 Preston Street and numbers 22-23 and cast-iron to 24 and 25. The roofs are largely hidden and have shared chimney stacks with clay pots.

The bow windows to 67 Preston Street have three, one over one sashes and those to the ground floor have stained-glass top lights. Those to the first floor, are fronted by a curved balcony with an iron balustrade, decorated with scrolls, fronds and a wheel-like motif. Above, there are two, stucco bands beneath the second- floor bow window. The moulded cornice is curved and the parapet above is interrupted by a scroll. The return elevation of the early phase onto Preston Street is scored to imitate ashlar and has a stucco storey band between the first and second floor, with plain cornice above. To the south (right) side, it has infilled window openings to each floor. To the centre there is a flat-roofed, rusticated and projecting porch with a round-headed opening at the ground floor. The C20 timber door is panelled and stands under a round-headed fanlight. Above there is a sash window of six over one to the first floor and two over two to the second floor. To the north (left) side there is a two over two sash to the ground floor which is protected by C20 iron railings above the coal cellar. The first floor above has a canted oriel with casement windows. The second floor has a four light casement and there are two, flat-roofed dormers to the mansard roof pitch.

The later phase to the rear of 67 Preston Steet is of lesser interest. The shop to the ground floor has a C20, glazed front with tiled stallriser, plain timber fascia and off-centre entrance doors. There is a C20 timber pilaster and console bracket to each side (largely missing to the south side) and a C20 glazed entrance door to the upper floors is also located to the south side. To the north end at first floor level, there is a two over two canted bay. Towards the centre there are three, regular two over two sash windows. Above, there is a moulded storey band and on the second floor there are a pair of two over two sash windows, towards the south end. The north elevation has evidence of a former wide opening to the ground floor and a pair of two over two sash windows to the first and second floor. The roof is shallow-pitched and has a stack towards the north end.

Number 22 has a C20 panelled entrance door under a multi-pane, rounded fanlight. The first-floor bow window is multi-paned with plain brackets to the top of the mullions. It is fronted by a curved iron balustrade decorated with filigree balusters. Above, there are two stucco bands beneath the second-floor bow window which has a single, one over one sash window under a stucco band and curved parapet.

Numbers 23 and 24 are similar, except the fanlights have a single pane and at number 24 the first-floor bay has two over two sashes and a single storey band between the first and second floor. Beneath the moulded cornice, the stucco to number 24 has been removed from the first and second floors. The missing stucco extends to the second floor of number 25, either side of the bow window. Number 24 retains its C19, panelled entrance door. The central light of the first-floor bow window to number 25, has a two over two sash. There is a moulded cornice above the second-floor bow and a six over six sash window to the third floor, under a flat parapet.

INTERIOR: features of note within the early phase of 67 Preston Street include panelled mouldings to the shutters and architrave of the ground floor bow window and the skirting and door architraves survive in part. The dog leg stairs are open string with straight balusters and a moulded handrail. The landings have been adjusted to provide access into the later phase (now closed off). The rooms to the upper floors are functional and plain and the doors throughout are C20 replacements. The rooms to the later phase of 67 Preston Street are all plain and have modern fixtures which are of lesser interest. Numbers 22 to 25 were not internally inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: on Regency Square, each house is fronted by a C19 run of iron railings with conical finials; some may be later replacements. The short length of railings on Preston Street are C20.

History

The terrace is probably shown in block form on the 1822 Baxter map and is thought to have been designed around 1818 by Amon Wilds (1762-1833) and his son Amon Henry (1790-1857). Originally based in Lewes, they established an architectural practice in Brighton in 1815 and went on to play a key part in its Regency expansion, including listed buildings such as Trinity Chapel, Ship Street, of 1817 and The Temple of 1819.

The wider Regency Square was built between 1817 and 1830 by William Mackie and the developer was Joshua Hanson.

The rear gardens of the terrace were foreshortened by the building of 10-12 Regency Mews (List entry 1380801, listed at Grade II) in around 1825.

The first edition of the Ordnance Survey (OS) map shows numbers 21 and 22 Regency Square as a single building with a separate but connected extension to the rear. This is thought to have been built in the later C19 as commercial premises.

The 1939 edition of the OS map shows a small projection to the west side of number 21, which corresponds with the entrance in Preston Street and the later phase to the rear is shown as part of numbers 21 and 22.

The 1952 edition no longer shows number 21 and both the former number 21 and its later phase to the rear are shown as 67 Preston Street. Number 22 is shown as a separate building. Numbers 24a and 25a appear for the first time, probably identifying the conversion of the basements into separate flats.

At the Preston Street elevation, the early phase of 67 Preston Street has been remodelled at first floor level, having had at some time a large window, probably added at a later phase when the building was reconfigured as a shop and store with accomodation for the shopkeeper. It was originally two storeys but a third was added by 1904. It is configured as a separate shop to the ground floor, with offices to the basement and upper floors, and has its own entrance and stairs onto Preston Street.

Reasons for Listing

67 Preston Street, numbers 22-25 Regency Square and attached railings, are listed Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

*   each house retains its early C19 Regency proportions and exterior features and finishes including triple-height bow windows, balconies and other detailing;

*   the terrace is as an example of the early C19 Regency expansion of Brighton, and is attributed to the architectural practice of Amon & Amon Henry Wilds.

Group value:

*   as part of the terraces that line Regency Square, many of which are listed, including the adjacent, Grade II*- listed, numbers 26-37.

External Links

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