56 And 57, Grosvenor Street

1900/0/10293 GROSVENOR STREET 01-NOV-01 56 AND 57

II

Built as town house pair, later offices. 1910-12, designed by Edward Wimperis (1865-19460 and John Best (1866-1950) in Late Queen Anne style for the Grosvenor estate. EXTERIOR: Built of brown brick with some red brick and some Portland stone dressings. Double mansard roof in Westmoreland slate with brick chimneystacks. Four storeys attics and basement. Ground floor and attics have two windows each, first to third storeys have one canted bay each. Multipaned sash windows except for ground floor windows of no 56 which are late C20 top opening casements. Attics have upper recessed sashes and lower dormers with curved pediments. Deep modillion cornice. Second and third floor windows have red brick dressings, first floor windows have Portland stone dressings. The ground floor is of Portland stone, rusticated with a cornice and seven stone columns. Side doors with multi-paned rectangular fanlights and half-glazed doors. Cast iron rainwaterheads, square drainpipes and attached area railings. INTERIOR: An unusual mixture of periods from early C18 to Adam revival. Fine early C18 style oak staircases with turned balusters and column newels. No 56 retains cornices with modillions or moulded leaf cornices. Fireplaces include Adam style fireplace with floral panel, paterae and wheat ear drops and fireplace with eared architrave and cast iron firegrate. No 57 has early C18 style fireplaces with bolection moulding and eared architraves, eared architraves, brackets and floral panel and bolection moulding, eared architraves and shell moulding. Adam revival urn and swag mouldings above mahogany doors, several moulded plaster ceilings and fireplaces with fluted Ionic columns or plumed half-columns and panels with cupids. Original water closets and tiles.