house

Terraced two-bay four-storey over basement former townhouse, built c. 1810, with three-storey return to rear. Now in use as offices. M-profile roof, hipped to south, concealed by brick parapet with granite coping and steel handrail. Pair of shouldered rendered chimneystacks to north party wall with lipped yellow clay pots. Parapet gutters. Red brick walling laid in Flemish bond over ruled-and-lined rendered walling to basement beneath granite stringcourse. Square-headed window openings with brick voussoirs, patent reveals and masonry sills. Generally late-nineteenth century two-over-two sliding timber sash windows with ogee horns, three-over-three to third floor without horns, six-over-six to second floor (one with convex horns) and ten-over-ten to basement (possibly original). Decorative cast-iron planters to first floor openings and steel grille to basement. Round-headed door opening with brick voussoirs, moulded rendered reveals and recessed rendered surround containing portico with fluted frieze and moulded cornice carried on Ionic columns over plinth stops, leaded cobwebbed fanlight and raised-and-field timber panelled door with brass furniture. Shared granite entrance platform with cast-iron boot scraper, approached by five granite steps flanked by iron railings with decorative cast-iron corner posts over granite plinth, enclosing basement to north-side. Square-headed door opening beneath entrance platform, replacement door. Coal-hole cover to pavement.

Built as a pair with No. 51 (50930264), this former townhouse forms part of a relatively intact imposing early-nineteenth century streetscape. Although largely homogenous in character and form, the subtle variations between terraces are indicative of the speculative nature of the square’s development. Almost all of the western side was completed between c. 1807-15. Laid out in 1791 by the surveyors J & P Roe, Fitzwilliam Square was the last of the city’s Georgian squares to be completed. Development was staggered, progressing slowly due to the French wars.