J F Heritage was asked to provide a heritage statement and detailed conservation advice for an application to covert a historic building in Brighton. Gloucester Road developed between 1822 and 1930, and a historic map of Brighton and the surrounding area shows a built-up area with yards indicating workshops and dwellings. Gloucester Road has a wide variety of building types, ranging from Victorian terraces, mews, a public house and small commercial units, many of which have replaced earlier industrial workshops.
The buildings along Gloucester Road have an interesting mix of materials, ranging from exposed brickwork to rendered facades, and with a range of fenestration including sliding sashes, crittal style windows, and flat dormers, all of which add interest and contribute to the special character of the area. The architectural styles are also varied.
Surrounding workshops and yards.
The application site appears to date to the nineteenth century and has seen many alterations. The Gloucester Road elevation has four sliding sash windows which do not appear to be original, and some of the horizontal glazing bars are missing. The ground floor elevation was used for commercial purposes and has a white fascia. An interesting feature is a Victorian lamp that is attached to the first-floor wall.The Gloucester Passage elevation is varied, with large modern casement windows on both the ground and first floor. There is a vertical break in the centre of the building, which suggests the building may have been two separate buildings before being infilled. The building itself is not listed, but it is located within the historic core of the conservation area. The heritage statement was submitted to provide supporting information to accompany a planning application.
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