Description

CHELTENHAM

SO9422NE ST GEORGE'S PLACE
630-1/9/814 (West side)
14/12/83 No.55
Electricity House
(Formerly Listed as:
ST GEORGE'S PLACE
Electricity House)

GV II

Includes: Electricity House CLARENCE STREET.
Electricity sub-station. 1894-5. Probably designed by Joseph
Hall, borough engineer. Red brick with gauged red brick,
terracotta, ashlar and rough stone dressings, concealed roof
except to outshut a slate roof; tall brick end stack to west
has cornice and copings. Italian Gothic style, based on the
Strozzi Palace (1489), Florence. Rectangular block with
outshut to north.
EXTERIOR: main (south) facade to Clarence Street: 3 storeys, 3
first floor windows. Rough stone plinth with central blocked
arch. Ground floor has 2 outer round-arched windows with
6-pane casements and gauged brick arch to head. Moulded
terracotta band; continuous sill band, outer 6/6 sashes, to
centre a triple window has fixed-light multi-pane casement
windows with paired columns with foliate capitals between,
continuous band over, moulded frieze and cornice surmounted by
blind round-arched arcade with short pilasters with foliate
capitals and rubbed brick arches above, brattished frieze,
deep cogged band, cornice and further crowning blind arcade
and cornice. West facade: 1 bay deep with set-back outshut.
Decorative features continue from south facade; ground floor
has round-arched opening; first stage has 6/6 sash. Entrance
to outshut a panelled door with overlight with lettering
'Electricity ...'.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: this sub-station was part of Cheltenham's
first electricity supply (1895). Here 2000 volts was
transformed down to 100 volts at the unusual frequency of 94
Hz. In 1907 the sub-station was converted into electricity
offices, but the building has reverted to its original use as
a sub-station. Cheltenham Civic Society/ Gloucestershire
Society for Industrial Archaeology plaque.
Occupies a good corner site, forming part of a distinguished
group of Victorian buildings (within the Regency new town)
which include the Library, Museum and Art Gallery (qv) and
Church of St Matthew (qv), Clarence Street; and Shaftesbury

Hall, St George's Place (qv).
(Cheltenham Local History Society Journal: Beacham R: The
Clarence Street Palazzo: 1983-).

Listing NGR: SO9468322565

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26667427

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas