Description

1900/72/121 ST MARTIN'S LANE WC2
15-JAN-73 31

GV II*

Terraced house and shop, formerly a bank. Reputed to be c1635, rebuilt later C17 or early C18, heightened and altered C19, refurbished and restored 2000. Stock brick, stone and stucco dressings, ground floor polished stone shopfront, M-plan tiled and glazed roof. Windows replaced 2000 based on C19 forms. Four storeys, symmetrical in three bays. Ground floor, extant 1905, round arched entrances that to left to upper floors that to right to shop, central shop window under segmental arch, flanking pilasters. Upper floor sashes with slender glazing bars in slightly recessed openings under flat gauged brick arches; at first floor left and right windows with mask keystones, central window in round headed moulded architrave, continuous moulded impost band. Above, rendered panels with feet, enriched with swagged garlands. Continuous enriched cill band to second floor; left and right windows with mask keystones, central window in eared architrave also with mask keystone and accentuated voussoirs. Plain storey band. Third floor windows under plain arches, central blind receesed panel. Plain parapet with stone coping. Right party wall stack, left return (Brydges Place) rendered.
Interior. Ground floor ceiling raised later C19, reducing height of first floor. Above ground floor, softwood closed string stair, turned newels and balusters; to 2nd floor is C19 replacement, above is part C18 with C19 replacements, with moulded string, square based turned newels, slender turned balusters, moulded rail; stair well at upper floor is plain panelled. First floor: front room, three-quarter panelling, curtailed at dado level by raising of floor level; alternating sunk and raised fielded panels; near central alcove, now with doors, in moulded architrave under broken pediment beneath slender applied two-thirds semicicular arch. Opposing north and south alcoves, that to south damaged and with later chimneypiece. Enriched panelled window reveals and rear arches. Robust modillion cornice, panelled ceiling with central hexagon, guilloche moulded ribs, formerly with painted panels possibly surviving under paint(Survey of London). Door of six raised and fielded panels to landing, egg and dart mouldings to room. Five panelled door to rear room, this and closet with plastered box cornices. Second floor: front room full height enriched panelling with moulded timber cornice on three sides; chimneypiece in eared architrave with flanking scroll brackets, tall frieze, plain central panel; blue and white tiles depicting Aesop's fables. Panelled cupboard to left of entrance, pair of doors to rear room both with L-hinges. Rear room, full height plain panelling angle chimneypiece, the mouldings added 2000 based on others in the building, restored cyma moulded cornice. Third floor plain panelled rooms, doors of two panels one original, the others replicas. Early brickwork exposed in party wall gable.

Survey Of London, Vol. XX, 1940.

Listing NGR: TQ3009780636

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17550013

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)