Summary
25 Elm Street is an early C19 house that incorporates earlier fabric from the C16.
Reasons for Designation
25 Elm Street, an early C19 house that incorporates earlier fabric from the C16, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as a high status C19 town house surviving within the centre of Ipswich;
* for the history of phased construction that has incorporated part of a pre-existing building at this site.
Architectural interest:
* for the building's classical detailing, especially the east elevation;
* for the high quality of the moulded beams within the surviving C16 ceiling.
Group value:
* the building has a strong relationship with the Grade II listed C18 almshouses at the neighbouring address (NHLE entry 1037766).
History
25 Elm Street is primarily an early C19 classically detailed house, set back from the street and neighbouring the C18 almshouses that stand to the north (Grade II, National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1037766). Within the house, in the south-west corner, is a surviving fragment of an older C16 building: a high quality ceiling of elaborately moulded timber beams.
John Pennington's 1778 map of Ipswich shows earlier multi-phased buildings on the site of the present house, from which the room at the south-west corner appears to be a survival.
In the early C19 when the present house was constructed the older remnant at the south-west corner was given a new upper storey and a replacement roof structure.
By 1881 a series of extensions had been built, resulting in a long rear wing following the northern boundary of the site. Against this new wing, glasshouses, outbuildings and a pump were constructed. To the south-east of the house was a large garden.
Around 1900 a further classical addition was appended to the south-east corner, containing a new staircase and a second entrance. This, combined with the accumulation of C19 extensions on the north side, has resulted in the many differing floor levels that run throughout the building.
In 1974 permission was granted for the construction of a four-storey office block on the site of the former garden, with a link structure joining the two buildings together. The entire site then served as the offices of a legal firm until 2021.
Details
25 Elm Street is an early C19 house that incorporates earlier fabric from the C16.
MATERIALS: the house is principally constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, with rendered timber framed elements. The roofs are covered in Welsh slate and plain tiles.
PLAN: the plan is irregular and expresses the evolution of the house. The principal staircase is in the 1900 extension at the south-east corner.
EXTERIOR: the principal elevation faces east onto a small yard set back from Elm Street. It comprises three early C19 bays with a later (around 1900) single bay extension to the south. The C19 bays are two storeys high, covered in a pitched slate roof with projecting eaves, a modilion cornice, and a broken central pediment supported on brick pilasters. The flanks have rusticated brick quoins. There are timber sash windows on each floor of the east and west bays with plain reveals, stucco flat arches and keystones. The central doorway has fluted Doric columns in antis (recessed behind the pilasters) and a Doric entablature. The window above the doorway has a balustraded panel at its base, a stucco architrave, and a broken scroll pediment on top. The extension to the left is in red brick, laid in Flemish bond and sits back from the principal elevation. At ground floor there is a brick porch with a moulded classical architrave and cornice.
The south elevation of the house is of two different characters, on the right is the 1900 brick extension, with a tall nine-over-nine sash window, and on the left is a blank rendered elevation of two storeys with a shallow gable.
The rear (west) elevation connects at ground floor to the 1974 office extension. The walling is covered in lined and painted render. At ground floor there are two large early-mid C19 horned sash windows with margin lights. Above these at first floor level is a pair of six-over-six sash windows that retain external awning boxes. Above the ground floor link to the later extension are two smaller windows, each one set further back from the main elevation.
There are two successive C19 extensions that run from the early C19 house along the northern property boundary. They are built of red brick and have plain tiled roofs. On the north side there are two small windows at the ground floor and four at the first floor. There is a small window on the west elevation beneath a plain gable, and on the south side there are three windows, replaced in the late C20 or early C21, all in timber frames, and two brick chimney stacks.
INTERIOR: the interior of the house retains chimney breasts, elements of its original plan form, and some features of historic craftsmanship. Joinery survives well throughout, including six or four panelled doors, the 1900 staircase, architraves, window frames, and skirtings.
The most significant interior feature is the C16 ceiling of the room at the south-west corner of the ground floor. This room is divided in two by a folding partition which obscures the principal transverse beam. The longitudinal beam is large and richly moulded with layers of rolls and hollow chamfers. The joists (15 of them) are smaller but also have hollow chamfers and rolls.
The roof structure over the rear of the house comprises a raked queen strut truss with iron tie posts.
The interior of the house is partly characterised by late C20 finishes or alterations to accommodate office requirements; including at ground floor the reception area, the blocking of an archway in the north-east room, and the in-filling of a doorway in the south-east room.
