Listed Building: ST MARYS HOUSE INCLUDING LODGE AND COMMUNITY CENTRE (1387196)

Portsea Island Union Workhouse, now 68 flats. 1845. Converted and altered 1990 (front facade remains intact). By AF Livesay. Red and grey brick in Flemish bond, stone dressings. Low pitch hipped Welsh slated roof, brick stack to left and right of central part and on inward side of far left and right towers, 2 stacks between each tower and central part and to each end bay. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 39 bays. End bays and central projecting part have brick rusticated quoins. Central part has brick rusticated ground floor with at centre a recessed 6-panelled door, 3-pane overlight set under flat stone arch with rusticated voussoirs and keystone, wide stone architrave, stone pedimented hood with plain cornice supported on brackets. On left and right are 2 recessed sashes each set within a flat arched plain stone architrave; brick band and stone band with inscription reading 'Portsea Island Union House'. First floor has 5 sashes each set within a flat arched stone architrave. Each of the 3 centre sashes has a round-headed stone panel set under a round gauged brick arch with large rusticated brick voussoirs, long and short brickwork to jambs, moulded stone string at window hood level. Second floor has 3 circular windows each set within gauged brick circular surround. Heavy stone open pediment with flanking paired stone brackets, recessed stone sloping parapet with large stone apex block with higher and round hooded part to centre, moulded coping. On left and right of central part is a 1-storey porch each with iron gate set under flat stone arch with rusticated voussoirs and keystone, segmental stone pediment supported on brackets. Recessed at rear of each porch is a 4-panelled door with narrow side sash. To left of left porch and right of right porch are twelve 8-pane sashes each set under a gauged flat brick flat arch, stone sill and brick band at arch level. First floor has thirteen 10-pane unequal sashes each set under a gauged brick round arch, stone sill with square stone brackets, brick band at sill and springer level. Second floor has thirteen 4-pane sashes each set under a gauged brick segmental arch, stone sill and brackets. Exposed rafter feet to eaves. Then further left and further right each facing returns, 1 bay wide, recessed with similar sashes and set behind taller projecting tower. Each tower has 2 similar ground and first floor sashes. On second floor are 3 close grouped narrow 10-pane unequal sashes with stone sill running across supported on 4 stone brackets. Projecting bracketed eaves to pyramidal roof. To left of left tower and right of right tower is a 2-bay wide projecting part slightly recessed behind tower, each floor with 2-sashes and on each outward return 3 sashes similar to main facade, bracketed eaves. On far left and far right each recessed end bay also has 1 similar sash to each floor. To north of main facade at each side of central axis are 2 separate 1-storey buildings. Left building now the Lodge and right building now Community Centre partially rebuilt 1990. Each inward facing front has at centre a 6-panelled door set under flat stone arch with dropped keystone, flanking engaged Doric columns, entablature and open segmental pediment, brick band at frieze level. On left of left building and right of right building is a C20 casement each set under flat brick arch. Each building has rusticated brick quoins and projecting eaves with paired shaped brackets to each corner, hipped slated roof. Round headed sashes each set under a gauged brick round arch with brick keystone, 3 to each south side and 2 to each north side. (Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 108; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd D: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967-: 449). Selected Sources Books and journals Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 108 Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1967), 449