Description

SYDNEY ROAD
656-1/32/1662 (North West side)

Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell

(Formerly Listed as:
SYDNEY ROAD
Lonsdale and Ravensworth)
05/08/75

GV II

Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell are an asymmetrical pair of villas in an eclectic Italianate style, dating from 1853; the architect is unknown but the style is similar to that of H E Goodridge.

MATERIALS: The houses are built from limestone ashlar under slate roofs, with bracketed wooden eaves.

PLAN: They are on a complex, staggered plan, which expands to the rear.

EXTERIOR: The houses are built on a sloping site and so comprise two and three storeys with attic. The main elevation of the Sydney Gardens Hotel, to the left, is a single bay, with angle quoins up to the attic level; the ground floor has a bay window above which is an open stone parapet; the first floor has two-over-two sash windows in raised surrounds, with the window over the bay having a segmental pediment. Above this is an arched attic window within the gable. The eaves are wide and set on wooden brackets. A square tower is set into the angle between the street and side fronts; this has an entrance at ground floor level, arched windows and a heavy bracketed cornice which supports an upswept roof in a Jacobean style, with an elaborate stepped finial. The garden front is of three storeys and an attic; the upper ground floor has a tripartite window, and the attic storey is gabled. Ravenswell, to the right, has two storeys and attic to the main elevation. The first floor has a decorated stone parapet, carried on heavy consoles. The arched attic window is set within a semi-circular surround with consoles and a finial. The garden front has a deep, projecting hipped roof with a gable. The rear has a lean-to roof and tall chimneystack, which is enriched with modillions and a pedimental cap.

INTERIOR: Not inspected.

HISTORY: The houses were constructed in 1853 as a pair of villas, formerly Lonsdale and Ravensworth, now the Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell. The buildings stand on the site formerly occupied by the labyrinth, one of the earlier features at Sydney Gardens pleasure grounds, between the GWR railway and the Kennet and Avon Canal as they enter Sydney Gardens.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION:
The Sydney Gardens Hotel and Ravenswell are designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* A good example an early Victorian eclectic historicist villa
* The quality of its architectural detailing, materials and craftsmanship
* Group value with the front garden walls to the houses (qv) and the other listed buildings in Sydney Road
Listing NGR: ST7583465247

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26674316

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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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
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  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)