Lawrence House and Museum and Forecourt Wall

Details

LAUNCESTON

SX3284 CASTLE STREET 660-1/4/24 (West side) 27/02/50 Nos.9 AND 9A Lawrence House and Museum and forecourt wall (Formerly Listed as: CASTLE STREET No.9 Lawrence House, The Mayor's Parlour and Borough Museum)

GV II*

Town house, now museum. 1753 inscription with "H L"; wing on right has 1913 inscription. Red brick laid to Flemish bond with keyed shallow segmental arches; rubble and slatehanging on studwork; steep rag slate roof with modillion eaves cornice; gable end of cross wing on right; brick end stacks on right axial stack towards right and 2 lateral stacks at rear. 2 storeys plus attic over basement; overall 5-window range including 1913 rebuilt bay on right. Original hornless sashes with thick glazing bars; C20 bay on right has Venetian window with moulded hood to 1st floor; round-headed sash with fanlight head to attic gable and canted pedimented bay to ground floor, all with hornless sashes with glazing bars. Late C19 or 1913 pedimented porch to central bay (probably originally to symmetrical front) with pilasters and consoles; 4-panel door with 4-pane overlight; 15-pane sidelights with external ovolo mouldings to thick glazing bars. 2 original pedimented roof dormers with 6-pane sashes. Basement has sashes with thick glazing bars and 6-panel door with flush-beaded panels under porch. Rear is 3-window 3-bay range with gable over each bay. Left-hand bay is 1913 rebuild with 2-light casement to gable over 3-light casement over 2-storey canted bay, all with sashes with thick glazing bars and canted conservatory to basement. Central bay has 3-storey canted bay with moulded cornices and sashes with thick glazing bars, probably C20 copy of original. Recessed right hand bay has original paired 8-pane sashes over early/mid C19 canted bay with sashes with thin glazing bars over original 3-light windows with internally ovolo-moulded oak mullions and casements with thick glazing bars; mid C19 conservatory with 12-pane sashes in angle towards right. Upper floor and gable of central bay and right-hand bay have slatehanging with vertical joints and slate cover strips. Small lean-to at far right has 2-panel basemet door and old door to basement of steps in front. INTERIOR: many original features including grained basement stair with closed string and turned balusters; fielded dado panelling, moulded ceiling cornice and grained chimneypiece with egg-and-dart detail pulvinated frieze and eared overmantel with scrolled head to left-hand room; dado panelling and moulded cornices to rest of front area; Doric columns and Doric frieze to former stair hall (1913 replica columns on right) and some other moulded ceiling cornices. Rear right-hand room has more elaborate joinery and plasterwork; doorcase with broken pediment; chimneypiece with carved frieze, consoles and Rococo overmantle with mirror and ornate ceiling with arabesques and enriched modillion ceiling cornices. The better plasterwork is reputed to be by the same craftsmen who worked at Eagle House (qv) and Castle Hill House (qv). 1913 wing has C18 chimneypiece to rear room and early C19 hob grate to rear chamber which may survive from older house on this site, otherwise this wing has many features which resemble the C18 features of the house. Subsidiary features: attached brick forecourt wall surmounted by C20 possible replica vase-turned balustrade.

Listing NGR: SX3305684757

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

369956

Legacy System:

LBS

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