Terrace Houses: 18-20 Rockwall Crescent, Potts Point. Sydney, New South Wales

This row of three terraces forms part of a longer spectacular streetscape in a tree lined Potts Point back street.  What makes it especially interesting is that it is a four storey row without even counting the attic something which is more common in parts of London but especially rare in Australia.

The terraces are so high that they barely need a parapet to hide the roof in this narrow street.  A human scale is achieved throught the sunken English styled basement level, while the verandah only goes two storeys further softening the height and bulk of the row.  There is a dormer window on one of the terraces (16) which helps it to blend into the neighbouring row, however it is not an original feature of this row.  The upper storey windows have small iron decorative lace balconettes over ledges (there are two for each house) but an otherwise plain facade with just a downpipe to mark the end of each terrace.   The party walls however suddenly bullnose out for the corrugated iron verandah and the walls are dressed in decorative scrolls and acanthus patterns.  The party walls duplicate the curved shape toward the street and the gate posts and palisade fence.  The verandah is dressed in iron lace, each compartment is split in two by cast iron cornithian columns, with delicate fringe, brackets and balcony rail on the second storey, and frieze, brackets and balcony rail on the first with further rails along the staircase.  There are pronounced mouldings around the double hung windows on the first level.