22 Dartmouth Row

Summary

A c1690 house.

Reasons for Designation

22 Dartmouth Row, a circa 1690 house, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Rarity: late C17 houses are rare in Greater London;
* Interiors: it retains an exceptionally intact late C17 interior including its staircase, panelling in four rooms, a china cupboard, wood and marble fireplaces, and also C18 and early C19 fittings;
* Degree of survival: the house is little altered apart from early C19 re-fronting in stucco.

History

Dartmouth Row was laid out in 1690 on the Earl of Dartmouth's estate. Originally it would have enjoyed wide views over the Heath and Kent countryside to the east and London to the west but the surrounding area was progressively built over.

It is shown on the First Edition 1870 25'' inch Ordnance Survey map as a separate property with its own boundary wall at the front and garden to the rear. The footprint has not changed on the 1896 or 1916 editions or subsequently.

It was originally listed at Grade II in 1973 together with the neighbouring property, No. 20 and one list entry.

Details

House of circa 1690 with C18 and early C19 alterations.

MATERIALS: brick, stuccoed with machine tiled roof and brick chimneystacks.

PLAN: originally a house of two storeys and attics and cellars with four windows to the front or possibly five originally, later extended to the rear. The internal plan has three main rooms and a staircase well to each floor.

EXTERIOR: the principal east front is fairly symmetrical and has a steeply pitched roof with two flat-roofed dormers with 3-over-3 sash windows with moulded architraves and horns. There is a box eaves cornice and raised bands between floors. The first floor has four 9-over-9 sash windows in moulded architraves with horns. The ground floor has an open pedimented doorcase on brackets and panelled pilasters and a reproduction 10-panel door. To the south of this are two 9-over-9 sash windows with elliptical heads and horns. To the north is an early C19 tri-partite bay window of 6-over-6 panes flanked by 4-over-4 pane sash windows without horns.

Attached at the front is a mid-C19 stuccoed boundary wall with stone coping and two square piers with stone coping flanking a pedestrian entrance.

The rear, west elevation is of three bays and is more irregular. The northern bay has a C19 two-storey canted bay window without glazing bars to the first floor and 9-over-9 sash windows to the ground floor. The central bay has a small round-headed casement window to the first floor and penticed entrance below with a flight of steps and cast iron handrail incorporating a foot-scraper. The south bay has an attic window of 8-over-8 panes with horns, a multi-pane window to the first floor, and a flat-roofed extension with a later C19 window to the ground floor.

INTERIOR: the front entrance leads directly into the ground floor hall which has full-height late C17 or early C18 panelling with a moulded dado rail and a further moulded rail at about two thirds of the height, a moulded cornice, a paired elliptical-headed china cupboard with open shelves at the top, and a wooden corner fireplace with a moulded and dentilled cornice, and a cast iron fire-grate.

The adjoining dining room has similar full-height panelling and a marble fireplace.

Leading off the hall to the west, the staircase is approached through a wooden round-headed arch with a keystone, panelled pilasters and moujlded imposts. The staircase is dogleg in plan with a closed string, turned balusters, square newel posts with moulded tops and dado panelling.

The rear, ground floor sitting room has a wooden fireplace with a dentilled cornice, oval paterae, honeysuckle motifs and swags.

The first floor south room has full-height panelling, a deep moulded cornice, dado rail, two-panelled door, an angled wooden bolection-moulded fireplace with a moulded shelf, and a built-in cupboard with shelving.

The first-floor north room has a two-panelled door, deep moulded cornice, dado rail, fireplace and original floorboards.

The rear first floor bedroom has a coved cornice and a wooden fireplace with a dentilled cornice, oval paterae, urns and swags.

The attic has a narrow wooden fireplace with a moulded cornice, original floorboards and ledged plank doors with original catches.

The basement retains an C18 or early C!9 corner wooden fireplace, an original plank door, a slate sink and a brick vaulted cellar.

End of official list entry

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