159-163, DUKE STREET

These are three houses, numbered 159, 161, and 163 Duke Street, built in 1765 as part of an interrupted terrace that also includes numbers 169-175. They are constructed of brick with slate roofs, and extend over three storeys plus basements and attics. Each house has a pedimented front with a stone cornice.

Number 159 has two bays, though the original ground floor may have had three. The windows have sills and wedge lintels with keystones, and contain all their original glazing bars. A small Venetian window is set within the pediment, with flanking lights now bricked up. The return facade to Colquitt Street is three bays wide, with a later addition on the left-hand side. Two small chimneys are visible. Central, round-headed recesses are present on each floor, with those on the upper floors (excluding the right-hand bay) containing small wooden-framed Venetian windows, although the glazing is now modern. The added bay features a blank window on the ground floor, a double sash with all original glazing bars on the first floor, and modern glazing in a similar opening on the second floor. Inside, a Venetian window is found in the staircase, featuring colonnettes on the mullions.

Number 161 is similar to number 159, but with three windows visible on the second floor. The ground floor has two sashed windows without glazing bars. A stone doorcase, featuring rusticated Doric pilasters, an entablature, and a pediment, is located on the left-hand side, with a modern door in place. The basement has two boarded-up openings topped with a lintel band. Six stone steps lead to the door, with an iron railing on the right-hand side. The interior includes an elliptical arch between the hallway and staircase, with a keystone, which is partially blocked. The staircase has an open string, columnar newels, and some turned balusters.

Number 163 is generally similar to number 159, with three bays on the ground floor and two above, delineated by a moulded first-floor sill band. The ground floor is plastered with modern glazing. A six-panel door is located on the right-hand side, flanked by pilasters, which are the remnants of a doorcase. Five stone steps lead to the door, with Victorian-era railings. A single ridge chimney is present. The interior reveals a hallway with a timber Ionic cornice. A round arch leads to the staircase, supported by fluted Doric pilasters. The four-flight open-string staircase and top landing feature a ramped moulded handrail, brackets, columnar newels, and most of the original turned balusters. Other features include a small 18th-century wooden chimneypiece and a Venetian window at the rear.

These houses were shown on a plan by Eyes in 1765, indicating they were relatively new at the time, and are now the oldest buildings in central Liverpool.