Rutland Terrace

Rutland Terrace (Fig. 201)

(288) Terrace, Nos. 1–20 (Figs. 140, 141; Plate 154), three storeys, front walls of ashlar or rubble, partly stuccoed, rear walls of coursed rubble, consists of 20 houses with low-pitched slated roof; Nos. 1–12 have transverse roofs at the rear. The terrace was built on two early enclosures, one of which had been a bowling green at least as early as 1712 (Court Rolls). In 1827 the bowling green and adjoining paddock were bought by J. C. Wallis, veterinary surgeon (Mercury, 2 Feb. and 30 Nov. 1827). Building of all 20 houses started in 1829 and by August of that year seven at the E. end were advertised for letting (Mercury, 9 April and 21 Aug. 1829). These seven have stuccoed fronts whereas the remainder are ashlared. Wallis occupied one of them. In 1830 tenders were invited for the completion of nine more houses, probably those at the W. end. Advertisements for various houses show that the terrace had been completed by 1831 (Mercury, 30 April 1830 and 11 March 1831). By 1831 Wallis had mortgaged the houses for a total of £6,000 (deeds); his finances were so stretched that he probably became bankrupt, and the freeholds were subsequently sold.

Although the terrace has an overall appearance of uniformity, minor variations between groups of houses reflect the interrupted history of its construction. Four giant pilasters divide the façade into a central group of five houses, with side groups of equal length but comprising seven houses on the E. and eight on the W.; the pilasters are incised with margins terminating as Greek key patterns, the central pair having capitals enriched with anthemion ornament, the outer being plain. The ground-floor windows and doorways have round heads; those in the central bay have rusticated quoins. The first-floor french windows give onto balconies with wrought-iron balustrades of varying designs; the hooded balcony with trellis balustrade to No. 8, though differing in style, appears to be original (Mercury, 11 March 1831).

The plans of the houses fall into two main groups with the exception of Nos. 8 and 20 which are of individual size and plan. Houses Nos. 1 to 7 and 9 to 12 conform to class 14b plan and houses Nos. 13 to 19, which have narrower fronts but deeper plans, to class 13b. The rooms may be generally identified with those mentioned in the early advertisements; No. 8, of four bays, class 9a plan, had in 1831 a first-floor drawing room 40 ft. long; it has since been divided. The W. house, No. 20, has a three-bay entrance front on the W.; round-headed recesses and a window on the S. simulate the arrangement of openings in adjacent houses. Some internal alterations were made to this house in about 1870 in order to give access to a new wing on the N. Throughout the terrace the interior fittings are uniform and of chaste design but some plaster cornices in No. 8 are more elaborately enriched with classical motifs. Advertisements show that this house contained water closets from the start. At the rear of the E. houses are contemporary stables and coach houses. Until recently, at the rear of No. 8, there stood a loggia with wooden Doric columns.