Listed Building: PORTSMOUTH AND SOUTHSEA RAILWAY STATION (1387026)

Railway station. c1866. Red brick in Flemish bond with yellow brick and stone dressings. Low pitch Welsh slated roofs with steep pitched flat topped roofs to centre and end bays, each with fretted iron finial rails. Stone capped brick stack to left and right of central part and to left at far right tower. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys with attic to centre and end bays. 19 bays. The 5-bay central projecting part has on left and right a 2-leaf half-glazed panelled door with 3-pane fanlight set under a recessed gauged yellow brick round arch with flanking brick pilasters, moulded stone caps. At centre is an 8-pane sash set under a similar round arch, heavy stone sill. Blue brick plinth with moulded stone coping. Running across pavement to central part is an iron glazed canopy with 2 cast-iron brackets with at rear 2 paired flanking iron brackets supporting roof steelwork; fretted ornamental iron balustrade set behind glazed roof. First floor has 5 closely grouped 4-pane round-headed sashes each set under a gauged brick stilted round arch with dripstone, flanking engaged stone columns. Centre and flanking sashes are taller than the intermediate and each has keystone. Stone frieze and bracketed cornice, crested parapet and coping. Recessed behind parapet at centre is a moulded stone dormer, centre part has raised rounded top with keystone and cornice, inset clock face. On each side is a small narrow fixed casement, cornice and flanking scrolls. Projecting tower at each end has at centre a recessed 2-leaf half-glazed door with 2 lower moulded panels, fanlight set under yellow gauged brick stilted round arch, keystone with figurehead, flanking brick pilasters with moulded stone caps. At first floor is a projecting stone balcony with ornate fretted iron balustrade supported on stone brackets; 2 narrow recessed sashes each set under gauged brick round arch, stone label keystone and sillband. Brick band with patterned tile strip running across centre, frieze and cornice, stone parapet broken at centre, flanking urns. At centre is a stone dormer with casement set under round stone arch with keystone and dripstone. On left and right of central part are 5 arcaded door and window openings each with gauged yellow brick stilted round arch and keystone, flanking brick pilasters with moulded stone caps. Each of the 5 openings on the right and 3 on the left have a recessed 4-pane round-headed sash, stone sill, recessed brick apron. To left of the 3 sashes is a late C20 glass door with fanlight and further left a 2-leaf half-glazed door with narrow fanlight. First floor has deep stone sillband and on left and right of central part are 5 sashes, each set under a gauged yellow brick cambered arch with keystone, stone band and impost. Brick band, stone frieze, cornice and parapet. Rear façade within station area has arcaded door and window openings, each set under gauged brick arch, plain projecting stone imposts and plinth. Station area has cast-iron columns running 5 in a line at right angles to main building forming 3 main bays with steel beams and frames supporting 3 boarded and glazed pitched roofs. INTERIOR not inspected. (Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 97). Selected Sources Books and journals Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 97