Description

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

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26665249

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.

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