Building record SWD 080 - Strickland House, 25 Park Lane

A substantial grade-II listed town house which contains evidence of several phases of conostruction and is linked to the once famous 19th century historian Agnes Strickland. The oldest part of the building is largely concealed by later plaster but can be recognised from Lorne Road to the rear by its steeply pitched pantiled roof. A single exposed ceiling joist on the ground floor bears an ovolo moulding of the mid- to late-17th century and this date is consistent with the intact roof structure of linear butt-purlins. The two storied structure probably formed the hall of a respectable but modest 17th century house, similar to many in Southwold, with an additional cross-wing on the west. At the beginning of the 19th century a new staircase was inserted and the present drawing room of red-brick was built to the east to create a typical late-Georgian layout. New service rooms were also added to the rear. The arrival of Agnes Strickland in 1864 saw a dramatic aggrandizement, with the addition of a three storied southern facade of gault (white) brick with bay windows and a fine Victorian Mock Gothic beneath a slate roof that effectively disguised the older roof within. The western wing was also remodelled in the Mock Gothic style and is believed to have been occupied by Agnes’ sister Jane. The Georgian rear service wing was entirely rebuilt in about 1900, and in 1955 the property was subdivided into Strickland House on the east and Strickland Cottage to the west (25a Park Lane). Further remodelling occurred in the late-20th century but the building retains many Georgian and Victorian fixtures and fittings, and its historic development closely reflects Southwold’s 19th century expansion from a small market town into the fashionable seaside resort it remains (S1).