Description

WORCESTER

SO8555NW LANSDOWNE CRESCENT
620-1/9/372 (North East side)
05/04/71 Nos.7, 8, 8A AND 9

GV II

Terrace of 3 houses designed to look like one large villa.
Numbered right to left, described left to right. 1860-65 with
later additions and alterations. Painted stucco over brick;
hipped slate roof with wide overhanging eaves on cyma reversa
timber corbel brackets. Stucco stack to party-walls and right
end, all with plinth, plain frieze, modillion cornice and pots.
Hipped slate roof to belvedere. Double-depth plan. Originally
symmetrical facade with central 3-storey Italianate belvedere;
later narrow extension to right in matching style (map evidence
suggests added between 1884 and 1926). 2 storeys with basement
and attic, 8 (3:1:3 [:1]) first-floor windows. Stucco detailing
includes rusticated pilaster strips to ends (later extension
results in additional pilaster strip to right; first-floor is
inset to left, a scrolled bracket bridges the resulting offset in
the pilaster strip); stepped and moulded band between ground and
first-floor; moulded sill band to first-floor windows with
brackets to each window which have plain architraves;
ground-floor windows have moulded, shouldered and eared
architraves with ramped head and capped keystone; centre bay
breaks forward with stepped and bracketted clasping pilasters
extending up to first-floor sill band; pilasters linked by
moulded band to imposts of semi-circular arch over entrance;
blind occulus with moulded architrave to each spandrel; plain
eaves band; clasping pilasters above main eaves level, plain
architrave with capped keystone to second-floor window which is
1/1 with margin glazing, upper sash has semi-circular arched
head. First-floor windows flanking central bay are triple with 2
mullions (1/1:2/2:1/1); otherwise 2/2; all with margin glazing.
External blind boxes to 3 windows to right. On ground-floor,
windows to either side of entrance are triple with 2 mullions
(1/2:2/4:1/2); other ground-floor windows are 2/4; all extend
down to floor level; most have external blind-box. Central
entrance door is all-glazed replacement with plain fanlight and
flanked by single pane side-hung casements. C20 basement window
to left and right with C20 steel grille over each area.
Tripartite door/side-lights to extension to far-right, outer pair
of pilasters and inner pair of engaged columns, all on pedestals
and with Corinthian capitals linked
by cushion frieze and moulded cornice with capped keystone
feature rising into centre pediment, Tympanum has decoration in
relief. Paired 2-panel doors, top section glazed, small bottom
panel raised and fielded with bolection moulding; 3-pane
overlight; rolled edge stone step; side-lights are 2 down to
floor-level; single inner door of 3-panels, top panel glazed,
bottom pair raised and fielded with bolection moulding;
part-glazed screen including transom lights, bottom panels
flush-beaded. 8 roll-edged stone steps from terrace down to
garden, flanks curved in plan; renewed scrolled metal balustrade.
Left-return is stucco scored to represent ashlar, plain eaves
band with brackets, 1 at left and 2 to returned pilaster strip at
right; brick plinth. Central 3-panel door, upper panel
margin-glazed, bottom pair flush-beaded; flanked by margin-glazed
side-lights. C20 car-port. Right-return in painted, lined stucco
with external stack to right of set back upper storey. No
openings. Rear elevation of No.7 is painted stucco. To left is
6-panel door with bolection moulding; overlight; 2 sidelights
down to floor level. 2/2 margin-glazed sash above to first-floor.
Projecting wing to right has tripartite window (1/1:2/2:1/1) to
first-floor return, below is a timber canted bay (2/2:4/4:2/2)
down to floor level. Wing continues as 2-storey red brick and
slate service range with /1, 3/3, and 6/6 sashes with stone sills
and under segmental arches; central C20 glazed door with C20
window to right. Rear elevation of No.8 is red brick and most of
the fenestration is C20. Rear first-floor to No.9 is part
tile-hung; tripartite window to ground- and first-floor
(1/1:2/2:1/10 in plain reveals with sills. 2-storey service range
has 3/3 sashes under segmental arched heads.
INTERIORS: retains some original features including panelled
doors and shutters, architraves skirtings and dado rails, plaster
cornices, fireplaces; polychromatic floor tiles in No.8.
Staircase to No.7 and No.9 have slender turned balusters and
wreathed handrails. The staircase to No.8 has been relocated.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Because of their elevated position, vehicular
access to these houses could only be from the east via Lansdowne
Crescent Lane; this introduced a degree of formality to what
would normally be the rear elevations. The 1886 O.S. map shows
Nos 10 and 14 (qqv) as exceptions with carriage drives from the
west off Lansdowne Crescent. Brick-lined semi-circular arched
pedestrian tunnel approx. 6 metres long leads from garden below
entrance to centre house and provides access to basement. The
tunnel entrance is flanked by 2 parallel flights of 10 roll-edged
stone steps nd guarded by
ornamental cast-iron balustrade; both steps and balustrade have
been reset. Nos. 1-15 (consecutive) and 17 and 18 Lansdowne
Crescent (qqv) form a good group of listed buildings comparing
well with other developments of this period in Worcester such as
Britannia Square, Lark Hill, and Rainbow Hill Terrace (qqv).
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Worcestershire: Harmondsworth:
1968-1985: 38, 335; JM Knowles: Lansdowne Crescent Worcester to
1900: Worcester: 1988-).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26669356

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

• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5