Listing Text

SOUTHWARK

TQ3273 DULWICH COMMON
636-1/15/283 (North side)
Dulwich College Preparatory School,
and attached balustrade

II

Formerly known as: Brightlands DULWICH COMMOM.
House. 1862-1884. By Charles Barry Junior. For solicitor of
Dulwich College Estates, now Dulwich College Preparatory
School. French Second Empire style.
MATERIALS: brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings. Mansard
roof of slate.
PLAN: roughly rectangular in plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and dormers over basement. Garden
elevation to south has 5-window range, the end ranges treated
as slightly projecting pavilions. Brick to basement treated as
rustication with a stone plinth to ground-floor on all
elevations. To ground floor in each end range, a flat-arched
tripartite window with cornice above and architrave.
Flat-arched centre windows set in round-arched recesses with
springing band; the tympanum of each filled with a shell
motif; keystone to each round arch historiated. Sill band to
1st-floor windows which are flat-arched with shouldered and
eared architraves. Entablature and cornice to all elevations.
3 dormer windows, pedimented with shouldered architrave
symmetrically disposed.
Right return with double-height, round-arched stair window; to
either side a chimney breast; segmental-arched entrance in
centre. All stacks above roof line have been altered.
Left return of 2-window range; all windows flat-arched, those
to the ground-floor with architraves.
Entrance elevation: the right side of this sets back to form a
distinctly plainer wing with chimney breast. The main section
has a 3-window range, bilaterally symmetrical about a
single-storey entrance porch with coupled Tuscan corner
pilasters; spandrels of round-arched door ornamented with
shields set in acanthus scrolls; keystone carved as bearded
man. All other openings are flat-arched, those to either side
of entrance with architraves and cornice brackets. Sill band
to 1st floor, with windows similar to those on the garden
elevation. 3 dormers as on garden elevation.
INTERIOR: south-facing room, ground-floor with original
cornice and fire surround; cornice moulding in hall and
elsewhere. Stair has wreathed handrail with curtail step;
turned spindles. Of special interest is a concrete crawlspace

built when the building was used by the army during WWII; this
led from east side of basement to basement of house to the
east.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: parapet with balustrade to entrance
elevation.
(Piggot, J: Charles Barry Junior and the Dulwich College
Estate: 1986-: 9).

Listing NGR: TQ3293273112