3 and 5, Porchester Terrace W2

Nos 3 and 5 Porchester Terrace are a pair of semi-detached houses designed by J.C. Loudon, built around 1825. The houses are constructed of brick with stucco dressings and feature three storeys and a basement. They have a three-bay composition, with the ground floor covered in stucco and a projecting verandah supported by stucco piers on three sides, connecting the two entrances that are located in one-storey bays along the sides of the block. The centre of the verandah projects forward to create a circular, glazed conservatory topped with a glass dome and a pineapple finial. The verandah has a cornice, and the windows are square with gauged heads, featuring sashes and glazing bars, although the centre windows are glazed but blind. There is a main cornice above the second floor and an urn on the parapet of the verandah. No 3 has a plaque from the Greater London Council commemorating John and Jane Loudon, horticulturalists who lived there. This pair of houses is a rare example of Loudon's domestic architecture and represents an early instance of the semi-detached plan, which Loudon referred to as the "double detached villa."