History

Substantial suburban house of c1875 in the style of J.P. Seddon, but not recorded among his known works. Occupied in 1895 and 1910 by Captain G.W. Cosens JP, in 1926 by Major Lewis Mathias JP. Sold to health authority 1946 as nursing school, subsequently sold to College of Librarianship when the Llanbadarn Campus was built on the site behind. Unoccupied in later C20, converted to flats c2000.

Exterior

House, Victorian Gothic style, grey-brown rubble stone with grey sandstone dressings and slate close-eaved roofs with red terracotta ridge tiles. Projecting gables have cream terracotta roll-moulded quoins, sandstone shouldered copings with kneelers and finials, and small pointed plaques with crosses. Roughly square plan, mostly two storeys with main fronts to S and W. Plinth, first floor sill course and moulded eaves, ashlar to front, yellow brick to rear. Extraordinary chimneys: tooled stone base under two large yellow terracotta ringed-column shafts with ornate capitals, set each end of a tooled stone centre shaft, and terracotta cresting overall. windows are mostly plate glass sashes.
S front has three bays to left and gable to right. Left has 3 eaves-breaking dormer gables, the left 2 closer-spaced, over 2 broad pointed first floor windows with stone voussoirs and iron flower balconies. Ground floor has 2 French windows in chamfered segmental-pointed surrounds, with etched glass, set in cast-iron hipped veranda with ornate brackets on twisted iron columns. Red and buff tiles to floor and stone step. Large Gothic porch in angle to right of tooled red sandstone with grey ashlar quoins. Tall pointed doorway with inset ringed angle shafts in red stone, keel-moulded arch and hoodmould. Half-glazed door with plain glazing to pointed overlight. Gable to right has big ashlar canted bay, 1-2-1 light windows with top lights, chamfered surrounds and ringed column shaft (carried across a very broad centre sash), sloping ashlar above, back to smaller but similar first floor bay, also with column shaft but without top lights, and with sloping ashlar parapet.
W front has recessed centre between 2 far projecting gables. Large stone and terracotta chimneys on left side of right gable and to left of centre roof which is hipped to N. Right gable has large sandstone oriel of 1-2-1 lights with hipped slate roof and iron cresting. C20 plastic glazing. Moulded deep base carried on a large buttress with set-off. Buttress is between 2 ground floor pointed windows with hoodmoulds extended as string courses on inner sides up to buttress. Windowless N return. Centre is relatively narrow, with centre dormer gable over eaves-breaking pointed window and ground floor ashlar canted porch bay with bellcast hipped slate roof, moulded eaves. French window with overlight to front, long sashes to canted sides. One small window each floor to right. Left wing projects further and is simpler in detail. Paired sashes with relieving arch above, long triple window with sashes and relieving arch below. S return has ground floor door and overlight and first floor 4-pane sash. The roof of this wing is hipped to E.
E side has eaves-breaking dormer gable, first floor pointed window and small window to right, with iron flower balconies, and ground floor pointed door into conservatory in angle. Conservatory has low pitched roof hipped to SE, yellow brick walls and band of cast-iron windows of 2 lights with arched heads, 4 full-height twisted iron columns with capitals, and crested cast-iron gutter. Large projecting gable to right with apex plaque, first floor 2-light with flower balcony and ground floor 3-light. Sandstone jambs and mullions, Bath stone lintels and grey stone relieving arches. Basement with Gothic iron rail. Hipped NE angle section, windowless to E with large wall-face stone and terracotta stack. Utilitarian N side with red brick window surrounds, 2 storeys and attic, moulded brick eaves and slate-roofed dormer. The hipped E end of left gable of W front is at right angles.

Interior

Large pointed inner S door with etched glass single-pane overlight and double doors each with 2 Gothic glazed panels. Moulded hall arch within on massive carved leaf corbels. Ceiling has brackets in cornices and thin lattice ribbing. Second arch to stair hall has heavy ringed columns with capitals, and stair hall has moulded cornice. Timber square-headed moulded doorcases with brattished tops and corner finials. Doors are 6-panel, chamfered and notched. Inlaid wood floors. Staircase has closed string with butterfly joint insert typical of Seddon, panelling below, timber gothic rail with pointed arches between octagonal ringed column balusters, punched holes in spandrels. Square chamfered newels with incised quatrefoil roundels and octagonal finials. Stair rises N to a half-landing, turns W with short flight, and then divides with short flights N and S. Moulded undersides to S flight. Landing carried on timber beam with timber paired brackets. S flight to main landing with broad cusped arch, N landing has c1900 flat glazed ceiling with leaded coloured glass. SE room formerly had panelled walls, not available for inspection 2002.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a substantial High Victorian house with good surviving detail. In the style of J.P. Seddon, but not recorded among his known works.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29503915

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)