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Fitzroy House is a Victorian building on the High Street in
Fitzroy House is a Victorian building on the High Street in Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
, East Sussex, England. It was originally Fitzroy Memorial Library, designed by architect George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
in neo-Gothic style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
and built in 1862. In 1897 it became Lewes' first public library, until 1956 when it became offices. It was left empty and decaying for 20 years before being renovated and used as a family home for 40 years, as well as an occasional venue for music and theatre. In 2016 it was sold. The main focal point of the house is the double-height Octagon Room.
History
Fitzroy Memorial Library was built in 1862 in memory of Henry FitzRoy. FitzRoy representedLewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
in Parliament from 1837 until his death in 1859, age 51. The building was commissioned by his widow, Hannah Meyer FitzRoy, a member of the Rothschild family
The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...
, and designed by architect George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
.
In 1897 it was adopted by the town of Lewes as its first public library and remained so until 1956. After that time it became offices but eventually fell out of use. It was gradually left to decline until 1970, when it was decided to demolish it. Part of the building was demolished before an Emergency Protection Order and Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
status was obtained at the request of the Friends of Lewes. Unused for two decades, the property became increasingly dilapidated until it was bought by James and Maureen Franks in 1978. The couple, along with the Friends of Lewes, restored and converted the property into their home, which it remained for the next 40 years. During that time the Octagon Room was also used as a performance venue by music and theater groups. In 2016, Fitzroy House was sold by the Franks family to Alison Grant.
The building was listed at Grade II on 11 May 1970.
Description
The building is inneo-Gothic style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
. It is described in ''Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove'' by Ian Nairn
Ian Douglas Nairn (24 August 1930 – 14 August 1983) was a British architectural critic who coined the word "Subtopia" to indicate drab suburbs that look identical through unimaginative town-planning. He published two strongly personalised cr ...
, a volume of Pevsner's Buildings of England
The ''Pevsner Architectural Guides'' are four series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. ''The Buildings of England'' series was begun in 1945 by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, with its forty-six original volumes pub ...
series, as follows:
"Red brick with some decorative black brick and stone and polished marble dressings. Steep roof with prominent chimney stack and clock turret and a tall fleche. Symmetrical facade to High Street with grand gabled centrepiece, a bracketed balcony forming an entrance porch. Two tiers of windows, paired lancets below, circular above, set within a Gothic arcade of polychrome arches on pilasters with carved capitals. Inside, galleried reading room lit by an octagonal lantern ow lost Main staircase with Gothic balustrade."It was described in ''The New York Times'' that "the main focal point of the house is the double-height Octagon Room. Located on the ground floor, the space, measuring 125 square meters, or 1,345 square feet, has a tiled courtyard, a galleried landing on the first floor and a glass atrium roof."
References
Further reading
*''Building And Saving Fitzroy Library, Lewes: a Victorian Love Story with a 20th Century Ending''. Pomegranate, 2012. By James Franks. New edition.External links
* * {{coord, 50.874, 0.0147, display=title Former library buildings in EnglandLewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
Architecture in England
History of East Sussex
Grade II listed buildings in East Sussex
Buildings and structures completed in 1862
Buildings and structures in East Sussex
1862 establishments in England
Buildings and structures in Lewes
George Gilbert Scott buildings