Description

The following building shall be added to the list:-

TL04NW BEDFORD BRITANNIA ROAD

5/10006 Administrative Block and
Children's Ward

- II

Administrative block and Children's Ward. 1897/8 by H Percy Adams in Free Renaissance style
with Jacobean and flemish details. Red brick with terracotta dressings, tiled roof and brick
stacks. Administrative block of two storeys and attics; 9 windows. Centre has cupola with finial
to roof. Central projecting portion of 3 bays has central Dutch gable, fretted balustrade and
octagonal corner turrets. Mullioned and transomed windows, including first floor 5-light canted
bay. Elaborate doorcase with swansneck pediment with terracotta sculptures of seated mother
with two children flanked by two medical practitioners in classical attire by Eames. On either
side are set back sections of 2 bays with mullioned and transomed windows and gabled dormers.
Projecting end bays have large gables with console brackets and 4-light canted bays on two
floors. Plinth. Ward block to rear of one storey red brick with 5 gables. Administrative block
has central Staircase Hall with imperial staircase with wooden balusters, arched features at top
and bottom and tessellated floors. Committee Room on ground floor has 4 Ionic columns and
original fireplace. Children's Ward attached to rear of Administrative Block has 20 ceramic
Nursery rhyme panels by W B Simpson and a tiled plaque over the entrance with the names
of the benefactors. The tiles were probably made by Maw's. These tiles are some of the best
examples of early ceramic art work in children's wards and it is rare to find such panels' in situ'.
[See "Brightening the Long Days - Hospital Tile Pictures" by John Greene, published by the
Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society, P 2-3].

Listing NGR: TL0466648881

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26588067

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)