British Listed Buildings

Listing Text

SUNDERLAND

NZ3955 RYHOPE ROAD
920-1/16/185 (West side (off))
10/11/78 Ashburne House, part of Backhouse
Building of Sunderland Polytechnic
(Formerly Listed as:
RYHOPE ROAD
(West side)
Ashburne House)

GV II

House, now part of Polytechnic School of Art and Design.
c1835. For Edward Backhouse, banker; E extension possibly for
museum in 1869 by GG Hoskins of Darlington. Flemish bond brick
with ashlar basement and dressings; roof not visible.
S elevation to park: 2 storeys and basement, 3:1 windows;
right extension 1 storey and basement, one window; left
set-back wing 2 storeys, 2 windows. 3-bay first build has
basement projecting to form raised loggia with Ionic
colonnade, columns paired except single at centre, with
entablature. Architraves to ground floor full-length casements
flanking central door and side lights with glazing bars, and
first floor sashes with glazing bars, the central window
tripartite. Angle pilasters support eaves gutter cornice and
parapet with pilasters, which continues on extensions. Right
extension in similar style has paired pilasters at right; left
return of 4 closely-set windows and left set-back wing have 4-
or 6-paned sashes in architraves, and inserted central door
with architrave. Public park to S formerly the grounds of this
house.
(Milburn GE and Miller ST: Sunderland River, Town and People:
Sunderland: 1988-: 61, 152; Corfe T: The Buildings of
Sunderland 1814-1914: Newcastle: 1983-: 14; Spotlight: Potts
G: Backhouse Building (article): Sunderland: 7).


Listing NGR: NZ3985355779

Source: English Heritage

Listed building text is © Crown Copyright. Reproduced under licence.