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Scunetany's Ufice RECEIVED 24 APR 2003 REF Osborne Terrace was built around 1850 when Douglas was becoming established as the capital of the Island. Earlier houses by the same developer were not proving popular and this terrace was designed in a more traditional style.
During the past 150 years most of the terrace has been remodelled with dormers added. Two of the seven houses are now flats. No 5 was in single occupancy but due to lack of investment became unstable and the front wall had to be removed.
This is now being rebuilt with mouldings near to the original as practical. There are some changes to the elevation which are listed separately.
The aim is to refurbish the building but also to reconstruct the building to a high standard where continued investment will ensure its future.
The rear of Osborne Terrace faces onto Cambridge Terrace. The rear outlets are rather austere and have no effective aspect, the rear yards being narrow and north facing. This is especially true of 5 Osborne where the yard is a slot 2.2 m wide with high walls both sides.
The present arrangement includes useful accommodation such as kitchen, utility rooms and toilets but not in a modern arrangement.
There is no off street parking, although there is adequate on street parking in Zone D , car parking is an issue with prospective purchasers.
These houses are large but have few rooms. They have potential to be restored to their former glory but need to adapt with better appointed kitchens, good access to the garden, bedrooms with en-suite facilities and garages where cars and motorcycles can be stored off the road.
The backs are dowdy and can be improved. The houses need to be planned so the accommodation matches the impression given by the front elevation.
5 Osborne, because of the damage caused to the front elevation offers an opportunity to replan the houses effectively.
The windows had been replaced in the Edwardian Period with stained glass but these were lost in the demolition. It is intended to replace them with the original pattern.
The ground floor window is modified to a doorway to allow easy access to the garden from the ground floor rooms.
The balcony is replaced to match 4 Osborne Terrace. The original balcony style is very ornate and it is not economic to recreate it.
The decorative mouldings and string course are reproduced in concrete section and the wall will be re-rendered. It has been rebuilt in two skins of 225 thick wall and is as thick as the original wall thus retaining room proportions.
The parapet is reduced to match 6 Osborne Terrace. The roof is altered to create a small roof terrace behind the parapet within the slope of the existing roof and, because of the thickness of the wall, people on the terrace will not be visible.
This terrace is introduced instead of a dormer. All the dormers on Osborne Terrace are different and the terrace is less intrusive.
Equally this creates a feature on the top floor, where as 4 and 6 have been extended to make additional rooms, at 5 it is considered that one large room with a studio space will be more attractive. This is similar to the use of No 1, which had a living room on the top floor.
The rooms have been altered to include en suite facilities and wherever possible the hallway is widened to make the circulation more generous. This was a failing of $7,8,6$ and 5 which was addressed when $4,32,1$ were built with a full height back addition making the staircase deeper.
The two main rooms are linked with a opening and a top lit dining/kitchen added. This makes the ground floor much more practical for modern use.
The rear outlet is demolished. This has been agreed with the owners of No 6 who will benefit from more natural light into the in rear area and rear outlet.
There is a smaller rear outlet for the kitchen and cloakroom. There is top lit dining room utility room. These make better use of the yard area and will have a traditional feel.
The garage has been incorporated with the rear outlet of 4 Osborne Terrace, with the owners consent.
The main rear elevation will be repaired and repainted with existing windows. The rear outlet and the new garage will be built in blockwork and rendered and mouldings introduced as the enclosed illustration taken from an existing outlet at the back of Cambridge Terrace.
The rear elevations will be further enhanced by railings replacing the existing rear walls.
5 Osborne is being repaired and original features replaced where possible. Internally the building is altered to a status necessary to ensure it is capable of attracting future investment to ensure its future.
The rear outlet is remodelled along with 4 and 6 Osborne Terrace, to improve the rear elevation which faces the front elevations of Cambridge Terrace.
Ashley Pettit RIBA April 2003
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