South Kensington Living
Onslow Gardens
Nos. 1-8 (consec.) Onslow Gardens were the first houses to be built in what was to be called Onslow Gardens. Originally they were called West Terrace, and were part of Onslow Square. The houses have four main storeys, with basements and garrets in addition. They generally have frontages twenty-five feet wide. The facades are of grey stock brick with stucco dressings. There are three windows to a floor and the first floor windows have balconies with cement balustrades. Frequently the middle window on the ground or first floor has a pediment, sometimes segmental but usually triangular. The end houses of the terrace have canted bays. (This layout was a departure from what Freake had built in Onslow Square, where houses had two windows to a floor and wrought iron balustrades.)
There was a gap of a few years before Freake built Nos. 50-92 (even) and 49-91 (odd) with 1A Cranley Gardens in 1873-5 which were to be built in a more fully Italianate style. The facades became more elaborate with prominent stringcourses dividing each storey, a modillion cornice below the roof line at third floor level, a parapet wall along the roof line with a balustrade. The traditional attic floor was hidden back behind the balustades. But Freake made a strong feature of his Onslow Gardens attics. They were clearly visible from the street and the dormer windows had ornate pediments over them. At Nos. 49-77 (odd) Onslow Gardens the dormers are behind the balustrade line. At Nos. 50-92 (even) Onslow Gardens they interrupt the parapet.
Freake may have copied the new dormer windows from alterations which Algernon Sidney Bicknell carried out at No. 23 Onslow Gardens 1871-2. Bicknell was the first occupant. It seems he wasn't satisfied and brought in his own architects, Banks and Barry, to remodel it to his liking. It is believed that they raised the attic storey considerably and added pedimented architraves to the dormer windows. Freake may have liked it and adopted it as a future improvement for his own buildings.
These houses continued the pattern of being three windows wide, except for Nos. 26-33 (consec.) Onslow Gardens. Freake continued to use cement balustrades for the balconies, except at Nos. 17A-48 which have normal iron balcony railings. At Nos. 35-48 the ground floor of each house has canted bays.
