house

Pair of terraced two-bay three-storey over basement former houses, built c.1800, now in use as flats. Pitched roof having continuous parapet to front (east) elevation with cut granite capping. Rendered and brown and red brick shared chimneystacks. Brown brick laid in Flemish bond to front having cut granite plinth course over rendered walls to basement level. Rendered walls to rear. Square-headed window openings having cut granite sills. Replacement uPVC windows to no.32, replacement timber windows to no.33. Round-arched window opening to rear to each house. Round-arched door openings each having painted masonry surrounds with engaged Ionic columns supporting fluted frieze and cornice, timber panelled doors, spoked fanlight to no.33, recent fanlight to no.32. Cut granite steps to shared entrance platform having recent metal railings on granite plinth wall. Basement areas enclosed from pavement level by cut granite plinth wall with recent metal railings on granite plinth wall with recent gates. Access to basement area by recent concrete and metal staircases from pavement level. Two recent cast-iron coal-hole covers set in granite paving to front. Rear access from Berkeley Avenue.

This pair of houses makes an important contribution to the streetscape. Its proportions and details are shared with neighbouring properties on Nelson Street resulting in a coherent streetscape. The early door surround and fanlight to no.33 survives in good condition and is typical of its time. Nelson Street was laid out in the late nineteenth century by the Gardiner Estate. It connects two arterial routes leading to Gardiner's ambitious yet unrealised Royal Circus, planned for the north-west end of Eccles Street and Berkeley Road.