35 and 37 New Oxford Street

Terrace of shops and former offices or chambers, now studio flats, built around 1847 as part of New Oxford Street, which was laid out to plans by Sir James Pennethorne, Joint Architect and Surveyor for the Metropolitan Improvements to the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, working with Thomas Chawner. The architect was probably Thomas Stead, surveyor to the Bedford Estate, and the builder was Hugh Welch Cooper. The shopfronts were altered in the 20th century and again in 2019, whilst the upper floors were converted to studio flats around the 1990s.

The buildings are constructed of London stock brick faced in stucco to the front elevation, with slate and tile roof coverings and clay chimney pots.

Each property is four storeys tall with shops to the ground floor and former offices or chambers to the first, second and third floors, now converted to studio flats with two to each floor. The basement contains former shop storage space, bathrooms and former coal-vaults.

The terrace is two bays wide per property. The ground floor has modern shopfronts, with number 35 New Oxford Street featuring two entrances with transom-lights above separated by bay windows, and number 37 having a single plate-glass window with two entrances set side-by-side. The ground floors each retain stuccoed pilasters, now lacking their bases, with fielded panels and large, highly decorative scrolled consoles. Above are three storeys of sash windows set in moulded architrave surrounds with fielded panels and scrolled consoles enriched with floral decoration supporting moulded cornices. Number 35 has one-over-one plate glass sashes, while number 37 has six-over-six sashes with narrow glazing bars to the first and second floors. The windows reflect classical proportions, with the piano nobile at first floor level and shorter sashes to the third or attic storey, which comprises three-over-six panes at number 37. Above the third floor of each property is a heavy dentilled cornice supported by squared consoles beneath a parapet. Number 35 has a slate-covered roof with red clay ridge tiles and a butterfly roof, whilst number 37 has a concrete-tile roof covering.

The rear elevation features a bay of six-over-six sash windows to each storey at both properties, with one small single-light window to the second floor of number 35, and a bay of late 20th-century round pivoted windows to number 37.

Internally, each property has former shops to the ground floor and quarter-turn staircases leading to the first floor. The first, second and third floors are now occupied by 1990s studio flats. The upper floors originally had a two-room plan with front and back rooms separated by 180-degree turn winder stairs, with each room now forming a separate flat. Some interconnecting walls have been knocked through, particularly at basement level in 2019. The upper staircases have turned newel posts, balusters and timber handrails. Some original joinery survives, such as moulded door surrounds, cornices, picture rails and skirtings, particularly to number 35. On the second floor of number 35 there is a fireplace with a cast-iron arched register grate and a timber surround with a frieze decorated with paterae and fluted pilasters and corbels supporting a moulded mantel shelf. The studio flats contain 1990s and 2000s fitted kitchen units and sanitary ware. Those in number 37 have raised bed platforms with balustrades incorporating reused turned balusters, newel posts and handrails. The basements are largely fitted with 1990s and 2000s fixtures and fittings including modern plasterboard partitions, though at the front of each basement is a pair of original brick barrel-vaulted coal stores.