56-62, LANCASTER GATE W2

This is a row of six houses, numbered 56 to 62, located on Lancaster Gate in London. They were built in 1865 as part of a grand terrace by the architect John Johnson. The houses are stucco-faced with slate mansard roofs and extend over four storeys, with a basement and an attic. Numbers 56 and 58 project slightly forward and feature rusticated quoins and elegant Ionic half columns supporting segmental pediments above the central windows. The ground floor is channelled, with paired projecting Doric porches leading to panelled doors. A stucco balcony with balustrades runs along the first floor. Windows above the ground floor have architraves, with the first-floor windows being round-headed and the others square-headed. Cornices emphasize the first and second-floor windows. They are sash windows with plate glass. A rich console cornice sits above the third floor, with a smaller cornice defining the attic. The attic windows are square-headed, except for those on numbers 56, 57, and 58, which are round-headed. Cast iron area railings enhance the front elevation. The houses are part of a larger terrace that includes numbers 66 to 74, and they are an integral component of the planned design of Lancaster Gate.