Description

CHELTENHAM

SO9420NW THE PARK
630-1/26/900 (East side)
12/03/55 No.21
Benton (Cheltenham and Gloucester
College)
(Formerly Listed as:
THE PARK
No.21
Benton Lodge)

GV II

Villa, now college. 1851. Stucco over brick with hipped slate
roof with off-centre ridge stack and iron verandah and
balconies.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys with basement and attic, 3 first-floor
windows; extension to rear. Stucco detailing includes quoins
to angles at ground floor, first-floor band, pilasters to ends
at first floor; windows have tooled architraves. Flight of
roll-edged steps to central entrance a 4-panel, part-glazed
door within porch with 2 pairs of fluted Doric pilasters,
architrave, frieze with triglyphs and metopes, cornice with
guttae and blocking course; sides of porch have glazing with
margin-lights containing coloured glass. Ground floor has
tripartite windows with 1/1 sashes. First floor has 1/1
sashes; some blind boxes remain to first floor. Basement has
3/3 sashes where original. Right return has 3 first-floor
windows. First floor has 1/1 sashes; ground floor has tall 2/2
sashes; attic roof dormer has casement window. Left return has
rectangular bay to ground floor with tripartite window with
2/2 sashes and pilasters between.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: front facade has ground-floor balconies
with elaborate scroll-and-lozenge motif, also tent hoods on
ornate brackets. Right return has continuous verandah with
Carron Company double-heart-and-anthemion motif balustrade and
openwork frieze, scroll motif to uprights.
HISTORICAL NOTE: The Park had been laid out by 1833 by its
owner Thomas Billings as an oval tree-lined drive with a
central park which for a short period in the mid-C19 became a
zoological garden. In 1839 the development was bought by
Samuel Daukes who continued the building. This is one of the
principal developments influenced by White's and Nash's
schemes for Regent's Park, London (1809-11). Originally known
as The Elms, during the C19 this was the home of Bishop T
Dunn. Bought by St Mary's College in 1944.

(Sampson A and Blake S: A Cheltenham Companion: Cheltenham:
1993-: 36,92; Merrett HS: Plan of the Town of Cheltenham:
1834-; Girouard M: The English Town: 1990-: 270-271; Sampson
A: The Historic Buildings of Cheltenham and Gloucester
College).

Listing NGR: SO9419820869

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26667583

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments