Summary
An early-C19 house, divided into two flats, with C19 and C20 alterations.
Reasons for Designation
Prospect House, Nos. 3 and 3a Prospect Place, an early-C19 town house with C19 and C20 alterations is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: as a good example of a well-composed, early-C19 town house;
* Intactness: the original plan remains legible and there are good-quality early-C19 fixtures and fittings throughout, including joinery, some fireplaces and cornices;
* Group value: it forms one of a terrace of four early to mid-C19 houses of varied design, including the neighbouring Charnwood, No. 2 Prospect Place (Grade II) with which it was previously amalgamated to form a school.
History
Prospect House was built in c1824, along with its neighbour, Charnwood. Both houses were brought by a Miss Henderson who amalgamated the properties to form The Misses Henderson’s Ladies Day and Boarding School which opened in 1825. The houses continued in use as a school until the 1870s and by the 1880s it had been returned to two separate dwellings.
Prospect House was listed at Grade II in 1973. At this time the house had been divided into flats.
Details
An early-C19 house, divided into two flats, with C19 and C20 alterations.
MATERIALS: constructed of smooth-plastered mass-wall construction. It has a slate tile roof and stone chimney stacks with brick shafts.
PLAN: a double-depth plan with rooms to either side of a central hall. The rear additions are of lesser interest.
EXTERIOR: a two-storey house with attic accommodation, the principal elevation (north-west) is arranged as three symmetrical bays flanked by pilasters with incised mouldings. The deep, boxed eaves have an eaves band and moulded brackets. There is a central, round-headed, recessed archway forming a shallow porch, to the rear of which is a six-panel entrance door with fielded panels and a fanlight above with radial glazing bars. The doorway is flanked by eight-over-eight hornless sash windows, with three further eight-over-twelve sashes to the first floor, each with an individual cast iron balcony with a spider’s web motif and scrollwork. To the attic are two gabled dormer windows with three-over-three sash windows. To the rear elevation (south-east) there is a two-storey building constructed of mass-wall construction to the ground floor and brick laid in stretcher bond to the first floor, with a glazed sun-room above. An attached, lean-to addition houses the staircase. There is a gabled dormer with a pair of sash windows with margin lights to the attic, and set-back to the right is a further gabled dormer with a pair of one-over-one sash windows.
INTERIOR: the interior is arranged as two separate flats. The ground-floor flat is accessed via the central doorway to the principal elevation and the first-floor flat is accessed via the staircase to the rear of the house. The ground-floor, C19 internal porch door has a five-panel arrangement to its lower section with a glazed panel above and leads to a narrow hallway with a reception room to either side. The room to the left (north-east) has a mid-to late C19 fireplace with an inserted, Edwardian, cast-iron grate. There is a blocked doorway to the right of the fireplace which dates to the time when the house was joined with its neighbour to form a school. This has a moulded architrave and corner blocks with floral motifs. To the rear wall is a large arched niche which cuts through the picture rail. The room to the right (south-west) of the hallway has an early-C20 fireplace with a copper grate. Both these rooms retain their early-C19 plaster cornices, moulded architraves to the windows, window shutters, and late-C19 picture rails. The hallway continues through one of a pair of arches with imposts and pilasters with Greek key carvings, and there is a single archway opposite. This rectangular section of hallway has an oval centrepiece to the ceiling and a moulded early-C19 cornice. The principal staircase was located to the right of the hallway and has been removed; it is now the location of the bathroom. To the left of the hallway is a further reception room with a mid-to late C19 fireplace with cast-iron grate. There is a cupboard to the right of the fireplace which was a further doorway to the neighbouring property. Beyond the single archway the hallway continues and has a curved south-east end which contains an early-C19 four-panel curved door. This leads towards the kitchen which retains its early-C19 fireplace; the range has been removed, and a small room beneath the rear staircase. The rear staircase leads to the first-floor sun room and provides access to the first-floor landing via an arched opening. The landing is curved at the south-east end and has an early-C19 cornice. The rectangular section of landing at the north-west end has moulded archways and pilasters to three sides and a cross-vaulted ceiling, and provides access to the reception rooms. The principal room (north-east) has a pair of sash windows with window shutters, and is set within a moulded architrave with corner blocks containing a floral motif. It has an early C19 cornice and fireplace; the grate has been removed. There are two further early-C19 fireplaces which have roundels to the corner blocks and one has a mid-C19 cast-iron grate. The room to the left of the landing contains a former doorway to the neighbouring property, and to the right of the landing is the principal staircase which provides access to the attic rooms. Throughout the interior are early-C19 six-panel doors with moulded architraves, some with carved corner blocks.
