4-8, ESSEX ROAD

Nos. 4-8 Essex Road are terraced houses with shops on the ground floor, dating from the early 19th century, with alterations made in 1933 and 1949. The buildings are constructed of yellow brick, with chromed metal and Vitrolite features, and have roofs made of artificial slate. They stand four storeys tall, with two windows each. The ground floor of nos. 4-6 houses Alfredo's Snack Bar, which has a cafe front from 1949, featuring chromed metal cladding and Vitrolite panels displaying various signs such as 'Entrance next door', 'Cafe', 'Breakfasts', 'Snacks', 'Established 1920', 'Ices 3d, 4d, 6d', and 'Teas, Ices, Sandwiches'. No. 8 features an early 19th-century shop front with reeded pilasters, a fascia that bows over the shop window, and a moulded cornice; the window glazing is likely from the late 19th or early 20th century. The upper storeys of nos. 4-6 facing Essex Road were rebuilt in 1933, with first-floor windows that are flat-arched and have gauged brick heads. The buildings have a parapet, dormers in the roofs, and chimney stacks on the projecting party walls.

Inside nos. 4-6, the counter has been renewed, but the decorative treatment from 1949 remains. The walls and ceilings showcase a traditional decorative scheme using mainly new materials, including formica for the dado, with a wooden dado rail and chrome accents. The main wall surface is made of Vitrolite, panelled with chrome strips and occasional mirrors, along with a wooden cornice and frieze of Vitrolite. The ceiling is panelled in wood and Vitrolite.