Details
BRIGHTON
TQ3303NW SUSSEX SQUARE
577-1/50/876 (North side)
13/10/52 Nos.11-40 (Consecutive)
and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as:
SUSSEX SQUARE
Nos 1-50 (consec) Chester Crt,
Prince Mansions, The Leas, Sussex
Crt & Mansions)
I
Terraced houses, most now converted into flats. Facades date
to 1825-1827, with the interiors executed over the next
several years. Designed by Amon Wilds and Charles Augustin
Busby for the developer of Kemp Town, Thomas Read Kemp; Thomas
Cubitt was the builder of some of the units. Stucco, painted
and unpainted brick in Flemish bond. Gambrel roofs of slate to
Nos 13-19, 21-24, 28 and 38; of slate turnerised to Nos 20, 29
and 36; of pantiles to 10, 11, 39 and 40; the roof of No.35 in
the course of repair during the inspection. Roofs of the rest
obscured by parapet.
EXTERIOR: with the exception of Nos 25 and 26 (see below) each
unit of 3-window range. 3 storeys and attic to Nos 11-17, 20,
24-27, 31, 32, and 34-40; the rest have 3 dormer windows each,
those to Nos 18, 19, 23 and 33 are segmental arched, those to
Nos 21 and 22 are flat arched. The entire group arranged on a
U-shaped plan. Every third unit in the arms of the "U", that
is, Nos 11, 14 and 17 on the left and Nos 34, 37 and 40 on the
right, projects slightly from the intervening units and is
distinguished by a giant tetrastyle portico of Composite
pilasters applied to the first and second floors; in the attic
storey, is a plain pilastrade on the same axis as that below.
This same motif can be found on Nos 1-10 and 41-50 Sussex
Square (qv), the houses to Lewes Crescent (qv) and on units in
Chichester and Arundel Terraces (qv).
For the climax of Sussex Square, however, CA Busby varied the
type in the central range of the "U", closing the square to
the north and giving a central point of emphasis to this most
important group. The corner units of the north range, that is,
Nos 20 and 31, are given the familiar tetrastyle portico,
while Nos 24-27 form a centrepiece which, taken together, has
a 15-window range. The pair at the centre, Nos 25 and 26, have
a 9-window range between them, project beyond the wall plane
of all other units in the ensemble, and are capped by a
shallow pediment above the parapet. The resulting bay rhythm
can be notated thus: a, b, b, b, a, c, c, a, b, b, b, a.
Features which are common to all units and which help to unify
this very large group include: ground floors rendered as
banded rustication; floor-to-ceiling first-floor openings
leading onto a continuous balcony or verandah with similar
cast-iron railings and brackets; storey band between the first
and second floors of each unit; above second floor of each an
entablature with projecting cornice, the upper fascia of which
is level with the sills of the attic windows; flat-arched
openings except where specified below; overlights to all
entrances.
As with all units in this group there are sufficient
variations from the common type to warrant a detailed
description of each. Although the ground floors and all
architectural features are rendered in stucco, the walls of
many are of unpainted brick in Flemish bond: No.16, first and
second floors only; Nos 17-21, 23, 33 and 34; the lintels of
all the above are gauged brick, except for Nos 33 and 34 which
have architraves in stucco. All floors of Nos 22, 24-27 and 31
are of painted brick in Flemish bond. Although the entrance
porches vary as to detail and plan, there is one type more
common than the rest. Nos 16, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 33-39 adhere
to this common type which is comprised of side walls ending in
antae, each taking the form of a fluted Doric column with
responds; each side wall is pierced by one round-arched
window; entablature with triglyph and metope frieze, which is
whole or partly gone from Nos 34, 35 and 37. Entrances to Nos
11 and 12 are paired and set under tetrastyle portico
comprised of fluted Doric columns, the centre 2 coupled at the
party wall to create wide gaps in front of each entrance;
straight side walls end in antae, the right side wall reduced
to nothing more than a parapet; behind the coupled columns in
the centre is a straight side wall ending in 2 Tuscan antae;
each porch is ceiled by a segmental barrel vault which springs
from a moulded cornice now much defaced. No.13 has an Ionic
prostyle porch with straight side walls on the same axis as
the columns and responds; the porch is ceiled with a segmental
barrel vault which springs from an egg-and-dart cornice.
Entrances to Nos 14 and 15 are paired under a porch with an
entablature carried on 2 straight side walls and an extension
of the party wall in the centre, all ending in antae; both
have an egg-and-dart cornice just below the ceiling, which, in
No.15, is treated as a segmental barrel vault. The porch to
No.18 consists of a plain entablature supported by a pair of
pierced side walls ending in antae. The entrances to Nos 19
and 20 are reached through a porch which, in plan, resembles a
chamfered corner; the corner piers have mutules at their
intersection with the entablature which is ornamented by a
frieze of wreaths; parapet above pierced by balusters in the
form of Doric columns. The former entrance to No.21 now filled
by window; a mid C19 encaustic tile pavement remains to mark
the old entrance. Entrance to No.22 set in tripartite Tuscan
aedicule. The entrances to Nos 31 and 32, which are paired at
the right-hand corner, are most elaborate and set under a
corner porch similar to that which covers Nos 19 and 20; the
wall between the entrances is pierced by a round-arched window
and ends in a Tuscan anta.
Door to No.31 remodelled in late C19 or early C20 in a
Baroque-Revival style; doorcase to No.32 remodelled at roughly
same time but in an Arts and Crafts style; evidence of
original entrance to No.31 plainly visible, now filled with
parapet and window. Encaustic tile pavement of late C19 date
in front of entrance to No.33 in very good condition. The
entrance to No.34, now filled in by a window, set into
aedicule consisting of fluted Tuscan columns and entablature
with triglyph and metope frieze.
The end units in the right side of the "U" have been converted
into a single block of flats, the entrance to which is set on
the return and dates probably to the late C19; to the left of
this entrance is a 2-storey rusticated bay with a shaped
gable. Many 4-panel studded doors of original design: Nos 11,
12, 13 (with sidelights), 19, 22, 24, 27 (the latter 2 with
sidelights), 28, 32, 33 (with sidelights), 34, 35 (with double
doors), 36-38 (all with sidelights) and 39 where the door has
been moved forward to enclose the porch. The architectural
system of giant Composite pilasters is carried across the
returns, that to No.11 has, in addition, 2 first-floor
verandahs. The roofs of all porches are enclosed by balcony
railings and, in some cases, roofed by a verandah. Glazed
verandahs with concave metal roofs on Nos 24, 25 and 27.
Many sashes of original or mid C19 design in the group.
Basement windows: 3 x 6 to Nos 11, 14-16, 18-20, 22, 23-34 and
38; 2 x 2 to Nos 12 and 13; 4 x 8 to Nos 35-37, 39 and 40.
Ground-floor windows: 1 x 1 with margin lights to Nos 26 and
27; 2 x 4 to No.34; 6 x 6 to Nos 20 and 25. First-floor
windows: 9 x 9 to Nos 19, 20 and 25; 2 x 4 to No.34; 6 x 12 to
No.39; 2-pane transom over 3-pane French doors to No.40.
Second-floor windows: 3 x 6 to Nos 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20,
23 and 34-40. Attic windows: 3 x 3 to Nos 11, 15 (left window
only), 20, 27, 32, 36, 39 and 40. Dormer windows: 3 x 3 to Nos
18, 19, 23, 27, 29 and 33.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Blue plaque on No.22 reads: "Thomas Read
Kemp, Founder of Kemp Town, Lived Here from 1827 to 1837.
Erected by the Regency Society". White plaque on No.11 reads:
"The Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) stayed here
frequently between 1874 and 1887. Erected by the Regency
Society". Kemp Town constitutes a most important group
comprising Arundel Terrace, Chichester Terrace, Lewes
Crescent, Sussex Square and related structures on The
Esplanade.
Listing NGR: TQ3322703728
