Listed Building: CUMBERLAND HOUSE (1387096)

Villa, now Natural History museum. c1830-40. Probably by TE Owen. Stuccoed. Low pitch Welsh slate roofs, hipped to centre and flanking parts, rendered stack to left of centre and left and right of right part. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, 7 bays (3:3:1). Front facing Eastern Parade is divided into 3 parts slightly stepped back from each other. Centre part, 3 bays wide, has central projecting 2-storey flat roofed porch with 3 stone steps approaching a 2-leaf late C20 glass door and fanlight set under round arch, moulded architrave, paired flanking pilasters. To left and right of flanking porch on first floor is a 16-pane sash, each set under flat stuccoed arch, moulded architrave, bracketed sills to ground floor. Sillband at first floor and at centre of porch is a 4-pane sash with margin glazing, cornice and block parapet. Right part, 1 bay wide, higher than centre has rusticated quoin strips, plinth, rendered capital at first floor with short panelled strip over. At centre is a mullioned and transomed tripartite fixed casement, centre light 18-panes with flanking 12-panes, moulded architrave and heavy bracketed sill with incised panels below. First floor has similar tripartite casement but without transom and sill brackets, centre light 12-panes and flanking 8 panes. Left part, 3 bays wide, has on left of centre a 3 panelled door, upper panels glazed with fanlight set within slightly projecting 1-storey porch under round stuccoed arch, moulded architrave and flanking pilasters, stepped block parapet. On left and right of porch is a 16-pane sash, each set under flat stuccoed arch with moulded architrave and bracketed sill, sillband at first floor, 3 similar sashes except each sash flanking porch has 18-panes with 12-pane sash on right. On right is a projecting 1-storey flat roofed extension. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967-: 446-447). Selected Sources Books and journals Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1967), 446,447