Building record TR 34 SW 2525 - Historic Building 303 London Road, Dover, Kent

Summary

303 London Road mid C19th building located on the south western side of the road. It has a domestic use and is currently (2019) in a fiar - poor condition (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Location

Grid reference Centred TR 3122 4212 (12m by 12m)
Map sheet TR34SW
County KENT
District DOVER, KENT
Civil Parish DOVER, DOVER, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Forms part of a terrace of C19th buildings located on the south western side of London Road on a raised pavement which is separated from the busy London Road below by a possibly original iron railing. The building is in an exposed brown brick with a rendered and painted (white) basement level. The door is located on the south eastern side of the façade, immediately abutting the south eastern party wall; it is raised from the street level and accessed via a set of six steps, these steps are untidy with a fair amount of vegetation growth attached to them. There is a brick wall with iron railing above on the southern side of the steps and a possibly original iron balustrade on the northern. The door is round headed with a semi-circular fanlight above the transom over the door, this is shared with the door of the south eastern neighbour. Two decorative painted pilasters are located over the jambs on either side of this door. A further door is located beneath the steps up to the ground floor, providing separate access to the basement level. A final door, also located at the basement level, is located at the far north western side of the façade, set within a brick porch. There is a window located centrally within the façade at the basement, ground, first and second floor levels, aligning across the floors and located within a slight recess in the brickwork. All have flat gauged brick arches above (though the render at the basement level obscures that over the basement window) and small protruding sills. Two further windows are located at the first and second floor level, these align with the ground floor door and immediately abut the windows over the door of the neighbouring building, these also have flat gauged brick arches above. A rendered and painted string course is located near the base of the first floor and forms a continuous sill to both first floor windows. This is in a poor condition with much of the paintwork flaking away. There is a rendered parapet at the top of the second floor level, a large aerial and a fair amount of vegetation growth is attached to this parapet. A flat roofed dormer window is located just behind the parapet, just off centre within the roof level. Lots of modern features are attached to the brickwork including aerials, a security system and several vents. A great deal of very untidy wiring crosses the façade at various locations, some of this wiring appears to be associated with the modern features attached to the brickwork but some of it also appears to be redundant. A modern plastic gutter water down pipe runs through a gap in the brickwork at the base of the parapet level, down the basement level on the southern side of the windows. The brickwork across the façade is stained and weathered in places, this is particularly bad at the top of the second floor and there are numerous areas where holes have been punched in the brickwork (for vents etc.) with untidy repairs. A low brick wall with concrete coping is located in front of the building separating it from the street level. Overall this building is untidy with several areas where improvements could be made, it appears however to be structurally sound with no major cracks in the brickwork.

All of the doors are modern and in timber, those at the basement level are painted white while the ground floor door is painted black. There is a semi circular window above the transom over the ground floor door, this is shared with the south eastern neighbouring building and appears to be a later insertion consisting of four opaque panes. There are seven windows located across the façade, one at the basement and ground floor levels, two at the first and second floor levels and final at the roof level. These windows are a mix of possibly original and later insertions, and sashes and casement. All of the windows on the northern side of the door, apart from the basement, appear to be possibly original timber framed sashes divided into multiple panes by timber glazing bars (12 panes on the first and ground floors nine of the second floor). The basement level windows glazing has been altered; it is divided into four small rectangular panes in its upper half while the lower is divided into four large rectangular panes. The first floor window above the door appears to be a later insertion, divided into four square panes with (possibly) metal surrounds. The second floor window aligning with the door is likely original and a timber framed sash divided into eight panes by timber glazing bars and separated from the window on its southern side by a timber mullion. The dormer window is a casement with the hinges on the outer jambs. Some of these windows are in a poor condition, the dormer is particularly bad with a rotten frame, the first floor window over the door is also untidy. Some of the paintwork on the other windows is chipped and dirty though all panes are present and intact.

The roof is mansard and in slate with metallic flashing at the join between the angles. A flat roofed dormer is located just of centre (discussed above). the roof structure appears to be in a good condition with no obvious bowing or slipped slates.


<1> Kent County Council, 2019, Historic building condition asseesment and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre (Unpublished document). SKE52120.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Unpublished document: Kent County Council. 2019. Historic building condition asseesment and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (2)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: Walkover and photographic survey of Dover Town - Area 3 London Road (EKE19204)
  • Event Boundary: Walkover and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre (EKE19201)

Record last edited

Jun 19 2019 4:23PM