82 St Bernard's Road

Summary

A house and coach house in the Domestic Revival style, designed by Wood and Kendrick of Birmingham, built in 1898. The coach house was altered in the late C20.

Reasons for Designation

82 St Bernard’s Road, a dwelling constructed in 1898 to the designs of Wood and Kendrick, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the dwelling is an accomplished example of the Domestic Revival style of the period, with a characteristic mix of materials and tall brick stacks;
* the building features well considered and good quality design features such as its rear octagonal tower with decorative parapet;
* the interior of the building retains many, good-quality original fittings including its newel post stair, stained glass and fireplaces with over mantles.

Historic interest:

* the building is a good example of a domestic design by the well-regarded architectural practice of Wood and Kendrick, who produced a number of buildings across the Midlands during this period.

History

In the second half of the C19 in Olton, a road was cut across the fields from Grange Road to the Turnpike Road (now Warwick Road). This new road, which joined with an ancient way from Streetsbrook Road to Kineton Green Road, became known as St Bernard’s Road. The houses built here from the late C19 were of a variety of styles in a variety of styles characteristic of the period, encompassing Continental and English Gothic, Renaissance and C17 English Vernacular motifs to Domestic Revival and the Arts and Crafts.

82 St Bernard’s Road (originally known as Wulverle) is an example of the introduction of the Domestic Revival style to Olton, with Arts and Crafts influences in the design. The dwelling was constructed in 1898 to the designs of the architectural practice Wood and Kendrick. The Ordnance Survey map of 1904 depicts the house as a linear building facing west onto St Bernard’s Road. A coach house is present immediately to the north east of the dwelling.

The house originally stood on a larger plot, but this was reduced by the creation of Woodshires Road in the late C20, with the road running west to east immediately to the south of number 82. In the late C20 planning permission was sought and granted to convert the coach house into an annex and as such a number of alterations to this section of the building were made. This included the insertion of a dormer window into the north elevation of the former coach house.

Details

1898 dwelling and coach house designed by Wood and Kendrick, altered in the late C20.

MATERIALS: constructed of brick, with a partly rendered first floor, timber cladding and some hung tiles. The roof is covered with clay tiles.

PLAN: linear on plan, the principal façade faces west, with the former coach house situated to the north east.

EXTERIOR: Domestic Revival in style with Arts and Crafts influences, the central range of the house has a steeply pitched, hipped roof with gable roof ranges to the north and south, creating gables facing the street. The gables are partly rendered and have cladding giving the effect of timber framing. The gable to the south has decorative scallop clay tiles at first floor, below the rendering. The principal entrance to the building is off-centre and features a two-storey brick porch with stone dressings. The porch slightly projects from the façade to the north and has a moulded stone parapet with curved pediment. The principal entrance is situated under a stone arch with carved spandrels and a carved frieze above. Above the entrance is a stone mullion and transom window with leaded lights and stained glass lighting the principal stair within. Directly to the north of the entrance, a large brick chimney stack projects from the roof. Beneath the stack at first floor level the building is rendered with two window openings containing original timber frames and sills supported by brackets. Below, the building is exposed brick with a large window opening to the north with timber frame and a single light opening to the south. To the north, is a slightly set back timber-clad gable with a single window opening at both ground and first floor. To the south of the principal entrance a larger gable contains a large bay window at ground floor, with timber casements with overlights of six panes. The bay window is topped with a timber balustrade. A large tripartite first floor window has original timber sashes to match others throughout the building with multi-pane top lights. To the north of the principal building is the entrance to the building’s former coach house with a window opening under a small gable roof. A timber door under a semi-circular brick arch is at ground floor with the coach house having a decorative curved parapet with stone dressings.

The building’s rear (east) elevation faces over the garden and features an octagonal tower at the centre topped by a leaded, domed roof. The tower has decorative curved parapet walling beneath the domed roof. Bay windows are situated on both floors of the tower with stone mullions and transoms. The rest of the elevation matches the form of the principal façade with a gable to the north and south. To the north of the tower, the building has an irregular fenestration, with the smaller gable in brick and a small section of timber cladding at the apex. To the south, there are two large window openings on both the ground and first floors, with the larger gable rendered. The south gable has French doors leading to the garden and further openings to either side with timber sashes. At first floor, the gable contains another window with timber sashes. To the very south of the elevation is a further sash window on each floor with very slim lights.

The south elevation has a large brick stack to the right (east) with an additional brick stack projecting from the roof to the left. To the left of the full height brick stack the building is tiled at first floor, with some timber cladding under the eaves and a single tall window opening with original timber frame. Below, the building is exposed brick. To the right of the stack the building is rendered at first floor with brick below a moulded string course.

The north elevation of the building is the former coach house, which is single-storey and has a cupola at the east end with an ogee leaded roof. Beyond the coach house, the main dwelling has a large brick chimney stack on this elevation.

INTERIOR: the principal entrance on the west façade opens to a large entrance hall with the building’s principal stair situated to the west of the room. The stair is open tread and has carved newel posts with a timber rail. Beneath the stair, timber panelling encloses an entrance porch with an original internal timber door with stained glass and a glazed overlight above. To the north is a small under stairs area through an arch in the timber panelling. The entrance hall has a tiled floor, with the stair window above having a timber architrave. To the south of the hall are two reception rooms. The room to the east faces over the garden and contains an original fireplace situated within a recess under a large timber, three-centred arch with carved keystone detailing. The fireplace has a carved timber surround with projecting over mantle. The room has a dado rail with panelling below and has a decorative plaster ceiling in a geometric design. An additional reception room to the west contains an additional fireplace with timber surround and over mantle. This room also has panelling below dado height and has plaster cornicing.

At first floor the principal stair opens to a large landing with the centre of the ceiling featuring a carved timber panel. An arch at the north end of the landing leads to some of the building’s bedrooms with further plaster cornicing and stained glass surviving on this level.

Sources

Books and journals
Foster, A, Pevsner, N, Wedgwood, A, The Buildings of England: Birmingham and the Black Country (2022), 783

Other
Ordnance Survey Map 1904.

End of official list entry