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Phoebe Merrick

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Building Form - Pre-1890 to 1938

As befits an area where the buildings have a variety of uses, the outer core of Romsey’s town centre contains considerable diversity in housing style. Like the rest of Romsey, it is predominately low-rise, rarely reaching three storeys, and even then, with a general absence of lofty buildings.

Pre-1890

Before 1840, such settlement as there was lay mainly along the two main roads, Winchester Road and Greatbridge Road. The buildings erected before 1890 are an individualistic collection and include some of the largest in the area. For example Lansdowne Gardens in Greatbridge Road was created early in the nineteenth century and has a striking portico and wall. It was well outside the town at that time.

The oldest house in Greatbridge Road

Former entrance to Lansdowne Gardens

Former Crown Inn and Queens Terrace

Some of the oldest properties are in or near Winchester Road, including Beauchamp House, Bishop Blaize public house, Harrage House, and the ex-Crown Inn.

Police Station and Alma Terrace

In the 1840s the south side of Winchester Road and nearby parts of The Hundred were developed with public buildings such as Police Station and a school (now English Court) as well as two short terraces of houses on either side of the Police Station. Most buildings in this area are made of traditional Hampshire redbrick. The Police Station is one of the town’s few flint faced buildings. The nearby houses contain cellars, a feature not common in the outer core of Romsey.

English Court has a very fine decorative gable and tall windows facing onto the street although the façade is rather hidden behind trees.

English Court, Winchester Road

Romsey Railway Station

The railway station was built in 1847 and subsequently extended. It is at the northern end of Station Road and there is now a small commercial complex adjacent to it, partially in redundant railway buildings. The railway station is one of the tallest buildings in Romsey. It is built of yellow brick and has two tall chimney stacks, one of which is arched.

The library (see picture page 1) was built in 1872 as a boys’ school with adjoining master’s house. They were designed by William Eden Nesfield. The buildings are noted for carved brick features, decorative chimneys and bell tower. The roof is covered with traditional clay tiles. The building is currently being sensitively extended by Hampshire County Council.

1890 - 1914

It was not until after 1890 that house building took place in a substantial way in this part of Romsey.

Terraces of houses were built in Winchester Road, Station Road, Alma Road, Albany Road and Greatbridge Road. In addition several small villa type houses were built in Winchester Road near the railway line. At the same time the other main road, Greatbridge Road was developed. It contains a terrace of small houses and a mixture of semi-detached and substantial detached houses.

Richmond Terrace, Winchester Road

Most of these dwellings are two storeys high, although there is a three storey group in Winchester Road next to Texaco garage. The tradition of using local dark red bricks was continued in this period although decorative features were often incorporated. One of the most unusual is a terracotta bas relief memorial tablet of Queen Victoria to be seen on a house in Winchester Road.

Some of these houses still have slate roofs and decorative ridge tiles but others have been replaced in non-matching materials. Similarly many of the sash windows have been replaced with other designs thus changing their appearance.

Most of these dwellings are two storeys high, although there is a three storey group in Winchester Road next to Texaco garage. The tradition of using local dark red bricks was continued in this period although decorative features were often incorporated. One of the most unusual is a terracotta bas relief memorial tablet of Queen Victoria to be seen on a house in Winchester Road.

Terraced houses in Station Road

Ornamental porch in Winchester Road

A number of detached and semi-detached houses were built as small villas particularly in Winchester Road and Greatbridge Road. They are mostly two storey, although some in Winchester Road have been extended into the roof. They are normally brick faced but some have been painted. Slate roofs are normal for these houses.

In Winchester Road, one house has a very ornate glass entrance porch. In Greatbridge Road, Crosbie House appears to have been inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement.

Crosbie House, Greatbridge Road

Birchlands, once Romsey Hospital

Birchlands was built as a cottage hospital in 1898 and is now divided into four homes.

Former brewery buildings seen from Princes Road, with garages in the foreground.

Some of the largest buildings in Romsey were constructed as part of Strong’s Brewery during this period. They soar up above the surrounding houses and include some very distinctive roofs which contribute to the skyline of the town. These buildings are of traditional Hampshire red brick. A few of the brewery buildings survive and the Malthouse, a listed building, is being converted into flats. Construction work is proceeding on the site in early 2006.

1914 - 1939

In the 1920s some detached private houses were built in Station Road and Alma Road. They have modest sized front gardens but quite long back gardens. A few years later the telephone exchange was built of brick at the southern end of Alma Road.

Former telephone exchange, Alma Road.

Landsdowne Close

The former Romsey Borough Council built houses in the Duttons Road area in the inter-war years. The earliest estate was built in 1928 in Lansdowne Close above Greatbridge Road. The arrangement of houses is unusual in that the central ones are double-fronted and one room deep, while the end houses are at right-angles, the block thus forming an H-shape.

More council houses were built, some terraced and others semi-detached, in Duttons Road, Station Road, and the newly created Princes Road, Jubilee Road and Malmesbury Road.

Malmesbury Road

Malmesbury Road was built along a shallow arc and has substantial grass verges with red-flowering horse chestnut trees. All these houses have been substantially modernised but the brickwork and rooflines are true to the original. In addition Strong’s Brewery built a few houses in Duttons Road.

Plaques of former council houses in Duttons Road and Landsdowne Close

The offices of Test Valley Borough Council, in Duttons Road, were built in 1929 for the now defunct Romsey and Stockbridge Rural District Council. The building has been much enlarged and most of the art deco detailing has been replaced by functional late twentieth-century features.

Southern office of Test Valley Borough Council

Plaza Theatre, Winchester Road. Shops Plaza Parade

In Winchester Road land between the Canal and the nineteenth century villas was developed in the inter-war years. The most striking building in this group is the Plaza Theatre, Romsey’s best example of art deco architecture. It faces south down Southampton Road       East of the theatre is a terrace of houses then a row of shops called Plaza Parade which latter has its own service road. The whole group is an example of relatively unspoiled 1930s vernacular design.

Bridge Road

Nearby, Bridge Road was constructed in the interwar period. It is made up of a mixture of terraced houses, bungalows and detached houses which all face the railway line across the road. The most noticeable feature of the terraced housing is the bay windows.

By contrast some large houses were built at this time along the eastern side of Southampton Road, standing back from the road in their own grounds.

Southampton Road