Bearland House and Attached Railings and Gates to Forecourt

Details

GLOUCESTER

SO8218NE LONGSMITH STREET 844-1/7/196 (South side) 07/09/70 Nos.57 AND 59 Bearland House and attached railings and gates to forecourt (Formerly Listed as: LONGSMITH STREET Bearland House)

GV II*

Formerly known as: Bearland LONGSMITH STREET. Town house, now offices. c1735-1740, and either a rebuilding or an extensive remodelling and enlargement of a late C17 or earlier C18 house; the wings flanking the forecourt added c1750 but the west wing demolished c1912 and replaced by a fire station, now a transport museum (not included). Built for William Jones, a prominent Gloucester attorney and his mother, who occupied part as a separate dwelling. Minor late C18 and C19 alterations; extensive restoration and some alterations, 1980, for and by Preece Payne Partnership, architects, for conversion to professional offices. MATERIALS: brick with stone details, rendered brick at rear, slate roof, brick stacks. PLAN: double-depth block with lower wing on north side of entrance forecourt; in the main block a wide central hall with the principal staircase at the far end rising to the former cross gallery on the first floor, now subdivided. EXTERIOR OF MAIN BLOCK (No.59): three storeys and cellar. Symmetrical front of seven bays with a slight projection to the three central bays (2+3+2); on the ground floor a projecting porch in the central bay, to either side a rusticated stone dado of chamfered ashlars on an offset plinth with a capping linking the ground-floor window sills, stone bands at first and second-floor levels, and a slighter first-floor sill band, stone crowning modillion cornice with blocking course; above the three central bays a balustrade parapet with turned balusters between square terminal piers surmounted by large, richly carved urns; smaller carved urns above the outer corners of the front; raised and chamfered stone quoins painted black at the angles of the central projection and at the outer corners. The projecting stone porch in the central bay has a pair of Roman Ionic columns supporting entablature with pulvinated frieze and a pediment. Doorway is flanked by Ionic pilasters; eight panel door with alternating pairs of large and small

fielded panels. In the central bays to either side of porch and on the first and second floors, sashes in openings with moulded stone architraves with full entablatures above the ground and first floor openings; the architrave to the central opening on the first floor is eared and shouldered, the architrave to the central opening on the second floor is eared at all corners and raised at the top with decorative carving; in the side bays all the openings have contrasting red brick quoins, rubbed brick flat arched heads and projecting stone sills. All sashes have glazing bars on the ground and first floors (3x4 panes) and in the short sashes on the second floor (3x2 panes); many contain C18 glass. The rear of the main block is rendered except for the early C19 two-storey canted bay in painted brick to the left with stone bands at the floor, window sill and parapet levels; a horned sash with a central glazing bar to each face of the bay on both floors. To the right of the bay, a large sash with glazing bars in opening with a segmental brick arched head lighting the stairwell. Wall to right largely rebuilt in C20 with sashes to match originals. INTERIOR OF MAIN BLOCK: entrance hall with raised fielded dado panelling and full height fielded panelling above; raised fielded panel doors in doorways with moulded architraves; transverse moulded timber basket arch supported on moulded pilasters, the spandrels infilled with richly carved and pierced acanthus panels. Open-well staircase with half landing rising to first floor; open strings with a small fielded panel above a richly carved end bracket below each tread end and the soffit of the upper flight moulded to the profile of the end brackets; the balustrade swept around the bottom curtail step; four twisted column-on-vase balusters in lieu of newels at bottom step and at end of balustrade on the first-floor landing, otherwise three column-on-vase newels balusters to each tread and a ramped handrail; raised fielded stair well dado. Arched window to stair landing has panelled reveals flanked by pilasters. Moulded plaster ceilings and enriched dentil cornices in the hall and over the stair well. On the first floor at the centre of the former cross gallery a transverse moulded timber basket arch supported on moulded pilasters is infilled with a later panelled screen. Large room to rear right with canted bay on the first floor has early to mid C19 details and a moulded marble chimney piece. Other rooms retain early C18 panelling and moulded cornices; several rooms have C18 chimney pieces. Extensive brick cellars vaulted in part. EXTERIOR OF WING (No.57): two storeys; symmetrical front to forecourt, three bays with a simple, moulded stone crowning

cornice with parapet above pierced by an open balustrade panel above each bay; central doorway with a moulded stone architrave crowned by entablature with pulvinated frieze and a segmental pediment. On both floors sashes with glazing bars (3x3 panes) in openings with red brick flat arches and projecting stone sills. INTERIOR OF WING: remodelled in late C20. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Fronting the forecourt a restored C18 wrought-iron railing with central double gates framed by decorative flanking panels and an overthrow. (BOE: Verey D: Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean: London: 1970-1980: 252).





Listing NGR: SO8293918570

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

472339

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 2 The Vale and The Forest of Dean, (1970), 252

End of official list entry

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