Williamston House including area railings

Cadw's description

Location

On the S side of Goat Street some 45m E of its junction with Market Street.

History

Late C18 substantial town house, associated with Williamston, near Burton at least since the later C19 when owned by Sir Owen Scourfield of Williamston. Occupied by the Misses Bennett in 1901, and by the Customs & Excise Office in 1926. The railings once included a wrought iron overthrow with lamp bracket. The doorcase is similar to that on No 8.

Exterior

Terraced house, unpainted stucco with slate roof and rendered end stacks. Large, three-storey, five- window front set back behind area railings. Two broad bands between floors, hornless 12-pane windows in moulded architraves to each floor. Ground floor has a through-passage door in left end bay and main door in centre. Four stone steps up to doorway in fine Roman Doric doorcase with half columns, entablature blocks with fluted friezes and guttae, and open pediment with mutules. Blind fanlight in moulded arch with radiating tracery, the fanlight set at plane of wallface, while 6-panel door is recessed. Four fielded panels over two flush panels. Footscrapers. Four steps up to 6-panel door to through-passage, one sandstone step, three with slate treads.
Basement vents covered by slate hatches each side of main door.
Fine wrought iron area railings flank doorway, with spearheads and scrolled supports to stanchions with cast-iron urn finials. Railings turn in to flank centre doorway and to right side of left end door. Painted stucco plinth. Hinged gate sections in each length.
Large three-storey rear wing to rear SE, detached two-storey outbuilding to rear SW, narrow court between.

Interior

Entrance hall has moulded egg-and-dart cornice with scroll frieze, and hall arch with panelled soffit, undercut leaf moulding, on broad piers. Six-panel door each side of hall. Similar cornice to stair hall, also with six-panel door each side. Staircase in four flights with continuous rambed thin handrail, square balusters and scrolled tread ends. Handrail is scrolled at foot. Moulded cornice to top of stair. First floor has similar doors, front room has moulded cornice with oval motifs in piers. Doors and shutters have bordered sunk panels as at Foley House, except on top floor where doors are panelled but without the border strips in the panels. Ground floor front rooms not inspected, nor first floor W room.

Reason for designation

Graded II* as a very substantial late Georgian town house with fine doorcase, iorn railings and interiors.