81, 82 And 83, Highgate West Hill

This is a group of three terraced houses at 81, 82, and 83 Highgate West Hill. The core of the buildings dates to the mid-18th century, built on the site of an earlier 16th-century house. By the late 18th century, the original house had been divided into two residences, with a third house, number 83, added later. In 1823, numbers 82 and 83 were combined into a single dwelling. The houses are constructed of stucco, with three storeys. The central part of number 82 has three windows arranged within arched recesses that extend through the first and second floors. A projecting three-window wing is attached to the north side of number 81, and a single-window projecting wing is attached to the south side of number 83. Number 82 features a fluted Doric portico with a reeded door surround, a patterned fanlight with a central lantern, and a panelled door. The garden front has seven windows and a continuous cast-iron balcony at the first floor, spanning the central three windows and supported by iron arches. Numbers 81 and 82 retain two very large chimneys, possibly remnants of the earlier house.

The interior of number 81 includes two early 19th-century rooms with original cornices and fireplaces, along with a later 19th-century room, all in complete condition. A rear wing was added to number 81 around 1960 for C S Rothery, a RAF pilot, and is a modern addition that is considered appropriate to the building.

Attached to the front of the houses is a brick forecourt wall with entrances formed by coupled square columns and wrought-iron gates. Number 81 was formerly the home of Lewis Vulliamy, the architect. It is believed that the back garden contains a probable ice well.