Description

WORCESTER

SO8555NW LANSDOWNE CRESCENT
620-1/9/379 (North East side)
22/05/54 No.17
The Homestead

GV II

Detached house. 1835-45 with later additions and alterations.
Painted stucco over brick, hipped slate roofs. Stucco end stacks
with cornices to west range, similar stack plus further stacks
with ornamental caps to east range. Timber brackets to eaves.
Lead roofed verandah on timber posts and wrought-iron supports.
Lead roof bay window, decorative timber eaves detail to bay and
verandah. Timber and glass conservatory on stucco-over-brick
base. 3 parallel abutting ranges of buildings with their long
axes aligned approx. N-S, together with transverse-wing to north
forms E-shaped plan. Hall and staircase to centre range. 2- and
part 3-storeys with cellar. Principal (south) Elevation:
asymmetric composition of three bays, that to centre is apsidal
(3-sides), bay to right breaks forward and has a higher eaves
line. Wide eaves with simple rectangular paired brackets. 2
first-floor windows (0:1:1). Stucco is incised to represent
ashlar, detailing includes plinth, eaves band (plain to left and
centre, moulded to right bay); moulded door architrave with shell
motif to tympanum. First-floor windows to centre and right are
6/6 sashes in plain reveals with sills, window to right elevated.
Central entrance; 4-panel door, upper pair glazed with
semi-circular heads, lower pair raised and fielded with bolection
moulding. Tented verandah over door extends to left return,
supported on 2 large square posts with stopped chamfers and 3
slender lattice-work frames with small rosettes to each joint;
scalloped and pierced eaves detail. Tented roof canted bay to
right; 2-pane French window and overlight; 2-pane window and
overlight to returns, decorative pierced cast-iron ventilation
grille adjacent to overlight. The elevation is continued to the
right by a conservatory of 10 bays; 6 bays are formed from 6/6
sashes; each end bay is a 2/2 sash with both curved frame and
glass; all supported on a dwarf-wall; the remaining 2 bays (nos.
3 and 8) are 6-pane doors with a raised and fielded bottom panel
and pane overlights; colonnettes to each bay division. Hipped
glazed roof, opening roof-lights.
Conservatory accessed internally via 2-pane French window in E.
elevation of house.
Lansdowne Crescent (West) Elevation: 2-storey. 3 first-floor
windows. Stucco is lined to represent ashlar, detailing includes
plinth, pilaster strips to ends and between windows linked by
plain eaves band, radial fluted-shell motifs to tympana of
ground-floor windows. First-floor windows are 2/2, ground-floor
are 2-pane French windows with overlights; all in plain reveals;
louvred shutters with hold-backs. Rear (east) Elevation: Painted
stucco. 4/4 sash to second floor, otherwise 6/6 and 8/8; window
to left first-floor has louvred shutters as per west elevation.
Single-storey former service range extends to east and forms rear
wall of conservatory.
INTERIOR: retains many of its original features including
panelled doors and shutters, skirtings, architraves; plaster
cornices, some with modillions, one with rosettes; ceiling
centres, hall ceiling is embossed papier maché; decorative frieze
in room to right of hall is similar. Open-well staircase has
lender turned balusters and wreathed handrail. Back stairs with
winders. Fireplaces to ground- and first-floor in timber, marble
and painted stone with cast-iron grates; one of the ground-floor
fireplaces includes the Crest of the City of Worcester.
HISTORICAL NOTE: The City Crest on one of the fireplaces probably
relates to Joseph Wood, builder and contractor, and Mayor of
Worcester who was living in the house (then known as Lansdowne
Villa) in 1861. A notable composition in the Regency tradition,
the conservatory being a good example of its type. 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 Q26669363

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

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]