Description

CHELTENHAM

SO9522NW ST MARGARET'S ROAD 630-1/10/842 (North side) 12/03/55 St Margaret's Terrace Nos 1-6 (consecutive) and attached area railings

GV II*

Terrace of 6 houses, now offices (to left) and flats and attached area railings. 1820-25. For the Hon Katherine Monson, who supervised the building. Ashlar over brick with concealed, double-pitch roof and brick party-wall stacks; cast- and wrought-iron balconies and railings. EXTERIOR: 4 storeys, 17 first-floor windows arranged 1:3:2:6:2:3:1, with 2-storey, single bay to left. The composition would be symmetrical if the left bay was to full height. 3-window ranges break forwards with central 6-window breakforward. Detailing: continuous horizontal rustication to ground floor with first-floor band surmounted by Doric pilasters through first and second floors to end breakforwards, pilasters at ends and between windows, and to centre breakforward to either side of outer windows, interrupted by second floor band except to end breakforwards, and with continuous entablature; above these are pilasters the entablature of which is incorporated into continuous crowning frieze and cornice; blocking course. Tooled architraves and cornices to first-floor windows to end breakforwards and to window to far right. 6/6 sashes throughout, full-height to first floor. Symmetrically-placed entrances to left, right, right, left, left and right: 3- and 6-fielded-panel doors (upper panels raised and fielded, lower flush panels have reeded surrounds of circular) with sidelights, in moulded pilastered surrounds and with egg-and-dart and acanthus friezes and overlights, 4 of which are with cambered heads, and mainly with batwing and circle type glazing bars. The rear elevations are well treated, the end buildings are ashlar (now stuccoed) at rear and have full-height, 3-window bows. To centre are 3 full-height pilaster strips forming sides of elliptically-arched recesses to 2 central windows. Further pilaster strip articulates party-wall divide between next two houses and ends. Originally 6, now 2 tripartite 6/6 between 2/2 sashes with flat arches of gauged brick, otherwise 6/6 sashes throughout. Central portico has 1 Doric column, otherwise pilasters, dentil frieze and cornice; two 3/6 sashes with Gothic glazing bars to round-arched heads and door with similar glazing, to porch right return a rose window and

entrance: 4-panel part-glazed door with circular glazed panel. Entrance to No.6 a recessed 6-panel door with overlight in round-arched pilastered surround with frieze and blind elliptical overlight. Right return has 3 first-floor windows, mainly blind; two 6/6 sashes with radial glazing bars to heads. INTERIOR: many original features: original joinery includes panelled shutters to some windows; No.1 has plasterwork with acanthus cornices and scrolled ceiling friezes, windows have tooled architraces with fleurons and honeysuckle, narrow open-well staircase to full height with carved tread ends and stick balusters interspersed with ornate iron balusters and panels of ornament and with wreathed handrail; 6-panel doors, that to landing with tooled architrave between round-arched niches; some architraves with flowers to corners; marble fireplaces; otherwise not inspected. No.2 retains similar staircase with stick balusters and run-out handrail, similar joinery; otherwise not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: continuous wrought-iron verandah (missing to left) has panels with central circle motif and, at right, embellished rods with lattice frieze; balcony dividers have scrolled circle motif. Bootscrapers to Nos 1, 2 and 4. Spearhead area railings with urn finials. Rear has several individual balconies with lattice and scrolled lozenge motif, and embellished rods and X-motif. HISTORICAL NOTE: The terrace does not appear on the Post Office Map of 1820, but is shown on Griffith's Map of 1826. In 1834 Henry Davies noted that in these 'fashionable dwellinghouses several of the leading families of Cheltenham reside'. Radford notes, 'The rear is unique in Cheltenham in that it has a formal symmetry'; Verey regards the balconies as 'magnificent'. (Sampson A and Blake S: A Cheltenham Companion: Cheltenham: 1993-: 116; Chatwin A: Cheltenham's Ornamental Ironwork: Cheltenham: 1975-1984: 28; The Buildings of England: Verey D: Gloucestershire: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: London: 1970-: 149-50; Radford S: The Terraced Houses of Cheltenham 1800-1850: 1992-: 55-63).

Listing NGR: SO9501622745

External Links

• Wikidata Q17535767

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Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)