7 Alexandra Avenue and gate screen, Battersea, Queenstown, London

Summary

A house and gate screen, formerly the vicarage of the Church of St Saviour, Battersea, built in 1879-1880 to the designs of John Oldrid Scott for his cousin, Revd. Samuel Scott.

Description

A house, formerly the vicarage of the Church of St Saviour, Battersea, built in 1879-1880 to the designs of John Oldrid Scott for his cousin, Revd. Samuel Scott. The builder was JD Hobson.

MATERIALS & PLAN: grey and red brick laid in header and English bonds with a slate roof which is hipped to the rear and gabled at the front. The house has three floors, including a tall attic storey, and a basement with a central entrance and staircase hall, entered from Alexandra Avenue.

EXTERIOR:
The building has two principal fronts, facing north across Prince of Wales Drive towards Battersea Park, and east onto Alexandra Avenue. Certain features continue across the building. Floors are divided by moulded stone string courses at the upper levels and by a brick band between the basement and ground floor. The basement walling has been covered by render, apparently in the later C20. At ground-floor level the lower walling is of English bond with red bricks and grey headers. Above this the ground and first floors have a background of grey bricks laid in header bond around which patterns of rubbed, red brickwork form quoins at the corners and window and door surrounds. The upper walling at ground floor level has flush bands of red brick and to the first floor are diamond patterns with a zig-zag motif below the eaves. Window heads combine gauged bricks and limestone keystones and voussoirs, with aprons to the first-floor windows which have ogee shapes to their lower edges. The hipped roof has a shallower pitch to its lower body and the dormer windows have pitched roofs with pedimented fronts.

The northern front has three bays, the left-hand two of which are grouped as a slightly projecting wing beneath a gable which has stepped sides with coping stones. Basement windows have basket relieving arches whose keystones extend upwards to connect with the ground floor sills. Ground floor windows have plate glass to their lower sashes, with four panes above. First-floor sashes are of two by four panes. The gable has a central sash with basket-arched relieving arch and the dormer window to the bay at right has two by four panes.

The eastern side has a wide central portal with recessed porch. This encompasses both the service entrance to the basement and the approach to the front door at ground floor level, both of which are approached by stone steps. The generous archway has alternating gauged red brick and stone voussoirs with a keystone that contains an enamelled tablet with the number ‘7’. The staircase leading to the porch and the porch itself have railings of cast and wrought iron. To the left of the ground floor are two sash windows of the type seen on the north front and at far right is a narrower sash window. At first floor level are two wider sash windows at either side of a narrow light and there are three dormer windows with pedimented gable ends. Slightly to right of centre is a ridge stack of red brick with stone dressings.

The southern, rear front has two broad bays, each of which has two basement windows with single windows to the upper storeys. The right, projecting bay has French windows at both basement and ground-floor levels. The ground floor one appears to be original and the basement ones to have been inserted in the C20. A balcony arrangement with glass balustrade and flooring was placed in front of the ground floor in the early C21 with a wide flight of stone steps leading to the basement below. The balcony has now been partially removed. To left of centre is a ridge stack, as before. The walling underwent repointing in the C20 using cement render to replicate the original tuck pointing.

INTERIOR: has been changed by the removal of the original staircase and doors and fire surrounds to all floors. The essential arrangement of the plan with a combined central entrance and staircase hall flanked by large reception rooms remains at ground floor level and the same arrangement with a smaller bedroom or dressing room above the entrance hall to the upper floors. At the time of survey (March 2022) the building was undergoing work to stabilise the rear (southern) chimneystack and to remodel the interior. This has involved the removal of much of the plaster covering of the interior partition walls at the upper levels, which had themselves been covered with plaster board at an earlier date in the late C20 or early C21. Joinery, including window shutters, sash windows and dado rails in both ground-floor reception rooms survive and appear to be original.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURE: on line with the entrance portal and facing Alexandra Avenue is a gate screen and gate of cast and wrought iron which has a recessed central bay and gate flanked by short screens supported by six cast iron posts with finials.

History

The vicarage was built in 1879-1880 and designed for Revd. Samuel Gilbert Scott by his cousin the architect John Oldrid Scott. Samuel Scott hoped that its design would be 'no small inducement' to builders to erect a good class of houses along Prince of Wales Drive. The builder was JD Hobson. The building is now a private house.

Reasons for Listing

7, Alexandra Avenue, Battersea, a clergy house designed by John Oldrid Scott, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* a building of clear architectural quality and an interesting example of the domestic style of the noted architect John Oldrid Scott;

* showing considerable care in its detailed design of the exterior and its building by JD Hobson with elaborate patterned brickwork of high quality;

* notwithstanding some losses to the interior, the essential plan form remains, as do significant parts of the joinery in the ground floor reception rooms;

* the contemporary gate screen and gate facing Alexandra Avenue are of good quality and complement the style of the house.

Historic interest:
* as a good, distinctive and relatively early example of the Queen Anne style as it developed in the later C19.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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