Queen Alexandra Mansions

Queen Alexandra Mansions are shops with mansion flats above, built between 1902 and 1908. They are almost certainly the work of C Fitzroy Doll. The building is constructed from red brick with elaborate terracotta dressings and a slate roof with tall stacks.

The building has an asymmetrical L-shaped plan, with a five-window range facing Shaftesbury Avenue and an eight-window range facing Grape Street. It rises five storeys, with a two-storey attic that was remodelled in the late 20th century along Grape Street. A large corner bartizan rises from a single ground-floor column with a foliate capital to form a tourelle, featuring panels of moulded heads on a giant modillion frieze. A second tourelle rises from the third floor at the junction with New Oxford Street, creating a visual response. There are two regular square three-storey oriels on Shaftesbury Avenue, and two similarly designed oriels on Grape Street, all featuring machicolated friezes. These are connected by parapets, a modillion cornice, and decorative banding. The main corner bartizan has balconies on either side, with terracotta balustrading, behind which the windows have segmental-arched transoms. The other windows are mullion and transom casements set in moulded terracotta surrounds, with notched lintels that extend as bands across the facade. The 20th-century shopfronts on Shaftesbury Avenue contrast with the consistent design of the Grape Street shopfronts, which are set between moulded terracotta pilasters.

The interiors were not inspected. The building is listed primarily for the quality of its street facades, representing a powerful example of Doll’s characteristic style and utilizing fine terracotta.