Highgate and Dingle Bank
Location/Address
22 and 24 East Downs Road, Bowdon
Type
Description
The building is a pair of semi-detached houses that appear very much intact in terms of their original design including architectural features.
At first sight the two houses appear symmetrical when seen from the south. The ground level footprint is largely symmetrical but Dingle Bank has an additional element of built form to its north-eastern corner which appears original and part of a design giving a sense of scale to the east (main entrance) elevation seen in views approaching the house along the driveway. The vehicle entrance to Highgate is a shorter and less impressive route direct from East Downs Road towards which the rear elevation of the building faces. It would seem that for this reason the north-western corner of the building (which includes part of the rear elevation) is given a higher status elevation treatment than would ordinarily be expected at such a junction between a side and rear elevation.
The front door to Highgate is within a modest single storey, pitched roofed element which at first sight does not appear original and seems to sit against an arched headed elevation opening but historic OS maps suggest this is an historic - if not original - built feature.
Available images suggest the built form and associated architectural detailing remains very much intact. Elevations are in a light buff/cream brick with limited use of stone detailing such as window surrounds and cills. The south elevation has paired open fronted, glazed roofed verandahs and steps down to terraced garden areas adjacent to the houses. There is less architectural embellishment to the rear elevation. The ground floor rear elevation of Highgate has seen some modest alteration including the introduction of two pairs of French windows but this has not overly affected the legibility of the original design and form. The roofs are in slate and chimneys (mostly) remain.
The original high rear boundary wall to East Downs Road remains (in matching brick and stone copings to the houses) incorporating the stone gate piers to the drives and various gated openings set within the wall to the yard areas and an opening to accommodate a non-original garage structure at Dingle Bank which is in poor repair. Also surviving are the yard wall between the two houses and the wall at Highgate that separates the yard from the higher status driveway and entrance forecourt area. The yards remain hard surfaced – at Dingle Bank available images suggest the original stone flags remain and this may be the case for at least part of the Highgate yard. with at least some of the original stone flags
The original exposed stone boundary wall to Langham Road remains augmented with characteristic mature hedge planting but also some less than ideal fencing. The within curtilage external areas retain a sense of their original layout and functions including soft landscaped front gardens.
The east boundary runs alongside a public footpath (‘Narrow Walk’) and is demarcated by an historic - of not original - brick wall with stone copings.
A sense of the original garden setting has been retained although the original layout of pathways has been diminished and the layout disrupted by the installation of a tennis court by the 1960s.
Statement of Significance
None recorded
Date Listed
24 Jul 2023
Last Updated
18 Jun 2023
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