43 and 45 New Oxford Street including 16 West Central Street

43 and 45 New Oxford Street, including 16 West Central Street, is a terrace of shops and offices built between 1843 and 1847. It was designed by architect James Pennethorne, who was appointed by the Metropolitan Improvements following a House of Commons Select Committee in 1836. The building is constructed of stuccoed brick with banded quoins and rustication, topped with slate roofs. It is situated on a canted site and is treated as two distinct units. The upper floors are well-preserved above 20th-century ground-floor shops, featuring sash windows with small-paned glazing bars set in moulded architrave surrounds, and heavy cornices and parapets. Notably, No. 45 has a balustrade and arcaded first-floor windows, which continue along the return to West Central Street on the ground floor. The interiors have not been inspected. This group of buildings is the most prominent intact example of Pennethorne's significant work for the Metropolitan Improvements Commission.