No 1 Rock Houses, including area railings

Location

First of a terrace of four set behind railings on the street line on the SE side of the bend in St Julian's Street opposite Lansdowne Cottages.

History

Terraced house part of an earlier C19 pair with No 2 Rock Houses, similar in detail to Lexden Terrace of 1843. No 1 Rock House occupied 1926 by Doctors Charles and Henry Mathias, surgeons.

Exterior

End-terrace house, a pair with No 2 to a unified design. Painted stuccoed front of 3 storeys and basement, 2 bays divided by 3 Ionic pilasters rising from band over ground floor and carrying heavily moulded entablature with pulvinated frieze, cornice and parapet. One-window range and inner doorway to each house, 12-pane hornless sashes, ground floor windows not aligned to the windows of the upper floors. Broad flight of 3 stone steps up to paired central Ionic doorcases with recessed 6-panel doors with overlights. Cast-iron boot scrapers set into stone.
Slate steps to basements: No 1 has C20 horned 9-paned sash and C20 door beneath bridge to front door.
Right end wall of No 1 is slate-hung and has 4-paned horned sashes aligned on 1st and 2nd floor left, also a very tall stair window of 32 panes, 2 panes wide. This is partly obscured by a 1st floor link to No 4 Rock Terrace, also slate-hung.
Area railings similar to those before Lexden Terrace to either side of steps with gates to outer ends to basement steps.
Rear seaward side is slate-hung with parapet, 2 2-storey canted bay windows with 2-4-2-pane sashes, and 2 2nd floor pairs of 4-pane sashes. 2 dormers behind parapet.

Reason for designation

Included as one of an architecturally sophisticated pair of houses in late Georgian style.