Description

CHELTENHAM

SO9421NE MONTPELLIER SPA ROAD
630-1/18/540 (North side)
12/03/55 No.60
Claremont Lodge

GV II*

Includes: Nos.23 AND 25 VITTORIA WALK.
Villa, now 3 flats and 2 houses. c1800-10 with later
alterations including upper storey and entrance porch of 1835
and range to right c1860. Stucco over brick with concealed
roof and stucco stacks; wrought-iron verandah. Double depth
plan with hallway to spine and service range at right.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys 4 first-floor windows arranged 1:2:1,
including central full-height bow, and with 2-low-storey,
1-window range to left and 2-lower-storey, 6-window range to
right. Mainly 6/6 sashes where original, central bay has
6-pane French windows and lattice frieze with divided
overlights to ground and first floors; range at right has some
1/1 sashes with margin-lights, all in plain reveals. Crowning
cornice, low parapet and copings. Ranges to left and right
have central ground-floor Ionic column and range to far right
has 2 further Ionic columns now embedded into wall. Range to
right has 2 entrances, off-centre left and far right: 6-panel
door with fanlight and part-glazed door. Left return (entrance
facade): 2 storeys, 3 first-floor windows with low ramped
walls either side. First floor projects on 4 Ionic columns.
Central entrance a 6-panel door with frieze and wide overlight
with decorative glazing bars; in architrave with sunk panels
to pilasters. Ground floor has 4 roundels. First floor has
blind openings; crowning cornice and low parapet with copings;
central upshot with shell panel. Walls to either side ramped
downwards with round-arched niches for urns.
INTERIOR: inner doorway to hall, part-glazed double doors in
fluted architrave with overlight and space for lantern. To
ground-floor front SE room a fresco above the fireplace
depicts Claremont Lodge before the upper storey was added.
Original plasterwork includes acanthus and ball motif to hall;
central bow-windowed room has acanthus frieze.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: main range has continuous first-floor
verandah with rod-and-circle motif to balustrade and rods to
uprights with Gothic arcade to frieze; similar window guards
to first-floor windows.
HISTORICAL NOTE: part of the first phase of development of
this area, probably on land originally purchased by Henry
Thompson for the de la Bere's. This represents a similar

design to Vittoria House, Vittoria Walk (qv). Wrought-iron
railings and lamp holders removed during Second World War.
Of the entrance facade to this house DI Stratton-Davis in his
Distinction Thesis in RIBA Library writes, `Although
inconspicuous in size, it ranks with the most important of
Cheltenham's buildings. In a composition itself quite unique
every element has been carefully judged and every
non-essential eliminated. The treatment of the Ionic order,
and the lightness of touch everywhere displayed inevitably
associates it with the designer of Montpellier Walk'.
A significant example of an early villa in Regency Cheltenham
and one of an important group of villas remaining in this
area.
Nos 23 & 25 Vittoria Walk listed on 12.03.84.
(Sampson A and Blake S: A Cheltenham Companion: Cheltenham:
1993-: 30; Chatwin A: Cheltenham's Ornamental Ironwork:
Cheltenham: 1975-1984: 18).

Listing NGR: SO9475621854

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535572

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

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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)