Description

ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA

SP3266SW LANSDOWNE CIRCUS
1208-1/4/211 No.1A
19/11/53 (formerly listed as Cambridge House
(No.59) Lansdowne Crecent)

GV II*

See under: Nos.19-57 and attached railings LANSDOWNE CRESCENT.

ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA

SP3266SW LANSDOWNE CRESCENT
1208-1/4/211 (North side)
19/11/53 Nos.19-57 (Odd)
and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as:
LANSDOWNE CRESCENT
Nos.19-59 (Odd)
Cambridge House (No.59))

GV II*

Includes: No.1A (formerly listed as Cambridge House (No.59)
Lansdowne Crecent) LANSDOWNE CIRCUS.
Terrace of 20 houses, now houses and flats and attached
railings. Laid out by 1834, built by 1838 with later additions
and alterations including mid-C20 roof dormers to most houses.
Architect, William Thomas (1789-1860).
Reddish-brown brick with painted stucco front and side facades
with Welsh slate roof and cast-iron railings and verandahs.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys with attics and basements, 42 first-floor
windows, 2 to each house except house to right (No.57) has 4.
End 4-window ranges and central 6-window ranges project.
Horizontal rustication to ground floor.
End projections have Doric pilasters to angles and between
windows, a pair between centre windows; central projection has
fluted Corinthian pilasters to angles and between windows, a
pair between centre windows.
First floor has tall windows: two 1/1 sashes; ten 1/1 sashes
with margin-lights; then 6/6 sashes; all in plain reveals,
with sill, tooled architrave and frieze, those to projections
have cornices, otherwise pediments.
Second floor: 3/6 sashes except 5th to 12th windows have 1/1
sashes with margin-lights, in plain reveals and with tooled
architraves. To first and second floors, Nos 43, 51 and 53
have blind boxes. Frieze, cornice, and blocking course missing
to part.
Ground floor, entrances: 4 and 5 roll-edged steps to 3-panel
doors, some part-glazed, some with central roundel for
knocker; overlights, mainly with glazing bars with margin-
lights, some with stained glass; entrance to No.43 has blind
box. Windows: two 1/1 sashes; tall tripartite window a 6/9
between 2/3 sashes; four tall, wide 1/1 sashes with
margin-lights; otherwise tall tripartite windows with 6/9
between 2/3 sashes, all with banded reveals.
Basements: some 4/8, 3/6 and 2/4 sashes, otherwise casements
and glazed doors.

Tall stacks with cornices to left of each house. Boot scrapers
to Nos 47 & 51.
Continuous ground-floor verandahs to each projection and to
ranges between have Greek key motif to uprights and
double-rod-and-anthemion motif to balustrade. Down-pipe with
hopper to No.43. Lion and wreath door-knockers to many doors.
Left return has to ground floor tripartite window, a 6/6
between 2/2 sashes; first floor has 8/8 sashes. To rear: 2/2,
3/3, 3/6, 4/8, 6/6 and 8/8; some staircase windows, 3/8 long,
narrow sashes with margin lights.
INTERIOR: from left: No.19 (flats) has dogleg staircase with
stick balusters from mezzanine to first and second floors;
4-panel doors. No.21, similar staircase but from ground floor
has wreathed handrail, marble fireplaces, deep cornices with
fleurons to hall, and egg-and-dart and grapes to drawing-room,
also to other rooms. No.23, staircase has turned balusters and
newel post. No.29 has similar turned balusters and newel,
ground floor dining-room has grape frieze and cornice;
modillion cornice to entrance hall. No.31 has dogleg staircase
with stick balusters, 4-panel doors, modillion cornice to
hall. No.41 has moulded cornice to hall, similar staircase to
full height with wreathed handrail, said to have carved
pediments above 4-panel doors and moulded cornices. No.43 has
similar staircase with wreathed handrail, moulded cornices,
egg-and-dart with grapes to first-floor drawing-room, marble
fireplaces, ceiling roses. No.45 has similar staircase,
moulded cornice with egg-and-dart and grapes to ground floor,
said also to first floor, painted-in shutters. No.51 has
similar staircase with wreathed handrail, marble fireplaces,
moulded cornices, centre roses to ground floor; ground floor
has double doors between front and rear rooms with 6-panel
doors and tooled architrave. No.53 said to retain similar
staircase and cornices. No.55 has similar staircase with
wreathed handrail, moulded ceilings and 4-panel doors.
Otherwise interiors not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: area railings and to sides of steps
throughout have fleur-de-lys finials.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and
Frank Whittle, inventor both lived at No.43. A map of 1834
shows Lansdowne Crescent and Circus laid out for 'intended
building'.
Forms an architectural group with Victoria House, Lansdowne
Crescent and Nos 1-17 (consecutive) Lansdowne Circus (qqv),
all by William Thomas, also with Nos 5-15 (odd) Willes Road
(qv).
(Roth D: Early C19 Decorative Ironwork: a study based on
Leamington Spa: 1976-: 34, 35).

Listing NGR: SP3219966134

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17552656

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)