road with trees and cars either sideThis area includes 17-59 (odd), and 20-92 (even) Pelham Road, including 1-8 Bycliffe Terrace; 2-24 (even) and 1-51 (odd) The Avenue and 1-16 (consecutive) Lennox Road East.
History
Until the middle of the nineteenth century Pelham Road was known as Manor Lane, which was within an area of agricultural land, and it led to the small village of Perry Street. Manor Farm was situated at the junction of Pelham Road and Darnley Road and the land was part of the Darnley Estate.
shot of building on pelham road The flint buildings of Bycliffe Terrace represent the area's oldest properties, possibly dating from the 1840s. The first houses in Pelham Road itself, on the western side, were built about 1870, at a time when there was an increasing demand for large middle class houses with gardens, concurrent with the rise in population. The majority of the buildings, however, date from between 1880 and 1910.
round turret on side of building
Following the Great Exhibition of 1851, a wide range of new architectural styles gained prominence, taking their influence from the Renaissance villas in Italy, medieval Christian architecture and traditionally built vernacular architecture. These new styles became known as Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne Revival respectively. All of these styles are present in this conservation area.
cobbled road with houses on the left
Character
The general character of the area is still that of a good quality residential suburb. Pelham Road has the older, larger houses which tend to be detached and set well back from the road in spacious grounds, such as Nos. 17 and 27. There are good examples here of Arts-and-Crafts style at 34 and 19/19A and an impressive row of smaller detached houses at 46-60. Pride of place, however, must go to No. 25, an exuberant asymmetrical house with a tower in French Renaissance style and a richly ornamented porch of decorative terracotta. Also worthy of mention are Nos. 41-49 - a balanced composition of one detached and two semi-detached pairs, with strong massing and lively details including corner turrets and brick panels.
While Pelham Road is something of a traffic corridor, The Avenue is quieter and more intimate in character, with houses sited closer to the road and street trees adding to the feeling of enclosure. Facing materials are predictably varied, with red and yellow brick, render, stone dressing, tile-hanging and roofs of natural slate and red clay tiles all being common.
