Details
BRIGHTON
TQ3203NE CHICHESTER TERRACE
577-1/49/143 (North side)
13/10/52 Nos.1-14 (Consecutive)
and Chichester House and attached
railings
I
Terrace of houses. 1824-1855. Designed by Amon Wilds and
Charles Augustin Busby for the developer Thomas Read Kemp; the
builder Thomas Cubitt, who was one of the Kemp Town Management
Committee with Kemp himself and the Rev. James Anderson, built
Nos 1-3, and completed the terrace in 1855 with Nos 4-10.
Stucco. Roof obscured by blocking course, parapet or additions
except for Nos 7, 12 and 14 which are of slate, Nos 4 and 5 of
slate turnerised, and Nos 2 and 3 of tile.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and attic over basement; 3 storeys and
dormers to 7, 12 and 14; an extra storey added to Nos 4-6,
8-11 and 13-14 in C20. 3 windows to each; No.14 has also has a
3-window range but is wider than the rest. Busby's original
plan called for every third house to have giant pilasters,
similar to those built in Portland Place (qv). Cubitt varied
the plan. Here follows a description of original design of
each unit (except for No.14 which will be described at the
end) and then a description of the whole.
All openings are flat arched. Steps up to an entrance enclosed
in a prostyle porch of fluted Doric columns supporting an
entablature with projecting cornice; the side walls have antae
stopping short of the columns, each wall is pierced by a
single window.
To the left of the entrance porch are 2 windows, some of which
bear traces of shutter runners; 2 basement windows to area.
French doors to first floor open out onto a verandah with
cast-iron colonnettes, railings and, underneath, brackets;
verandah roof concave in section and projects out to form
porch over entrance porch where the roof is supported by
elaborate cast-iron stanchions with acanthus scroll brackets.
The verandah abuts against a storey band between the first and
second floor.
Second-floor windows have projecting sills. There is an
entablature with projecting cornice to the second floor, the
upper fascia of which is level with the sills of the attic
windows.
The attic storey has a diminutive, plain entablature and then
blocking course.
Cubitt tried to give a central point of emphasis to the design
of the terrace by treating Nos 6, 7 and 8 as projecting bays,
with 7 projecting the furthest of the group. This emphasis is
dissipated by Nos 3 and 11 which project as far as 7. The
resulting bay rhythm can be notated thus: a (Chichester
House), c, c, a, c, c, b, a, b, c, c, a, c, c, a, where "b"
represents Nos 6 and 8, which project beyond "c" but not as
far as "a".
The end units, Chichester House and No.14, are the only ones
to have received the giant order. The ground floor of
Chichester House is treated as banded rustication. Steps up to
entrance with over- and sidelights, set under a prostyle porch
of fluted Doric columns which stop just short of antae at the
end of short side wall; the entablature has a frieze of laurel
wreaths; blocking course topped by a balustrade to enclose a
first floor balcony. To the right of the entrance rises a
full-height segmental bay of 3 windows. Giant pilasters of the
Composite order to first and second floors, those framing
entrance range are paired. The entablature to the pilasters is
continuous with that on the entire terrace, except that the
projecting cornice was removed from the bay when the attic
windows were lengthened. Plain pilasters applied to attic
storey on axes of the giant order below; above each attic
pilaster the parapet projects to form a short socle which is
topped by an antefix finial. Instead of the first-floor
balcony found on the other units, the first-floor windows
including those on the return have individual cast-iron
balconettes.
The design is carried around the return, where there are
coupled giant pilasters at the corner and bay, with single
pilasters defining the remaining window ranges. A full-height
segmental bay rises through 4th- and 5th-window range. The
second-window range is blocked. The giant pilasters are used
again on No.14, the facade of which is treated as a tetrastyle
portico with a corresponding attic pilastrade. Entrance is
reached up steps, the whole being enclosed by a distyle in
antis porch of fluted Doric columns; the 2 side walls between
antae and responds are pierced by one window each; entablature
frieze of laurel wreaths.
Features of and alterations to units include: verandahs above
porches have all been glazed in the C20 except for No.4 where
the verandah has been removed; 4-panel doors of early to mid
C19 design to all; entrance porches gone from Nos 1-4. There
are only a few remaining sashes of original design: 4/4 to the
ground floor of Nos 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10; 2/2 to the second floor
of Nos 2, 3, 8 and 9; and 2/2 to the attic of No.8. No.1 is in
the process of restoration. Stacks to party and end walls.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
Railings to stairs and areas.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Chichester House, which was not at first
considered part of the terrace or the development, was
completed by 1832 and stood on its own for some time. It was
used as a young gentleman's academy; from 1938 to 1944 it was
the home of novelist DL Murray, who was an important member of
Brighton's literary community.
(Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-: 81C).
Listing NGR: TQ3297003541
