South West Regency (Administration) Block to St Edwards Middle School

Details

CHARLTON KINGS

SO9621SE ASHLEY ROAD 630-1/30/3 (West side (off)) 08/02/83 South-west Regency (Administration) Block to St Edward's Middle School (Formerly Listed as: LONDON ROAD (North East side) South-west Regency (Administration) Block to Whitefriars School)

GV II*

Formerly known as: Ashley Villa ASHLEY ROAD. Villa, now school. c1832, extended to front and remodelled for Nathaniel Hartland, banker; architect: C Baker of Cheltenham; builders include Robert Williams and Edward Billings. Ashlar with hipped slate roofs. PLAN: double-depth main range with lateral hall and stairwell to rear; with service wing to rear extending to a 3-storey service block with lower single-storey wings. EXTERIOR: entrance (west) facade of 2 storeys, 4 first-floor windows arranged 2:1:1, the 3rd (entrance) bay breaks forward. Corner giant Tuscan pilasters and to breakforward. Moulded first-floor band. First floor has 6/6 sashes with tooled, eared architraves. Ground floor: off-centre right entrance, Corinthian portico has 2 pairs of columns, frieze and dentil cornice; within are double 2-fielded-panel doors with side-lights and pilasters between with Greek key pattern, dentil frieze, divided overlight. Windows to ground floor are 2/2 sashes with frieze and cornice on corbels; all windows in plain reveals. Garden facade: 2 storeys, 3 bays, the centre a full-height bow, with windows arranged 1:3:1. Plinth, corner giant Tuscan pilasters and to outer bow, with giant Corinthian columns to either side of central window, continuous dentil cornice and blocking course. First floor: 6/6 sashes, the outer have tooled, eared architraves. Ground floor: outer 2/2 sashes, 6-pane French windows to bow; all have frieze and cornice on consoles. Windows to bow have blind boxes and louvred shutters. East facade has Gothic bay window to ground floor with perpendicular-type tracery to head; to first floor an oriel window between 6/6 sashes. To north: staircase window a 9/9 elliptically-arched sash with margin-lights. INTERIOR: retains many original features. Wide entrance hall in 3 parts; outer part has doorways on either side with

6-panel doors and eared architraves; inner 2 with saucer domes decorated with Greek key pattern and cornucopia with doves and floral bosses to centre; recess with arched wall panels and coffered segmental vault. Enriched cornices with egg-and-dart, dentils and modillions. Principal room on ground floor (now chapel) has scagliola columns leading into bow; marble fireplaces, frieze and cornice. Further room to south-east with 2-colour marble fireplace with original grate and sideboard break flanked by Corinthian columns, deep frieze with anthemion motifs. Open-well stone staircase with scroll-motif to ends of treads, iron balusters; to upper part are blind-arched wall panels opposite arched openings with similar balustrade; coffered segmental vault. Upper hallway has enriched frieze with egg-and-dart and anthemion corbels and fleurons to frieze. First floor has several marble fireplaces, including to service rooms. Main rooms (some divided) have enriched cornices. Service staircase has stick balusters. HISTORICAL NOTE: incorporates in north wing part of an earlier house called The Woodlands. Formerly known as Ashley Manor, the villa was built for Nathaniel Hartland (the single most important lender of money to builders in the Pittville development in Cheltenham) at a cost of over »6,000. Also formerly known as The Oaklands. One of the finest villas in the Cheltenham area, its internal plasterwork is a particular feature for its diversity, depth and quality of composition. Forms a group with Summerhouse and drive piers to carriage sweep, London Road (off) (qqv).





Listing NGR: SO9653621465

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Legacy System number:

473932

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LBS

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