37-38, BURY STREET

Nos. 37 and 38 Bury Street are residential chambers with art galleries below, built around 1870 by architect William Butterfield. The buildings are constructed of stock brick and feature regular bands of polychrome red brick and blue Staffordshire headers, topped with slate mansard roofs. Each building has three bays, four storeys, and attics, with two dormers that include casement windows. The moulded parapet and cornice are decorated with a cornice band of polychrome brickwork featuring zigzag patterns. Each floor has three French windows with cast iron balconettes supported on stone brackets, with the windows becoming progressively taller towards the bottom. The side windows are three-light, while the others are double. The entrances to the chambers feature cambered central entrances with pilasters and cast iron railings topped with fleur de lys finials. There are four shopfronts; three have panelled risers and large shop windows divided into five sections at the top, while the leftmost shopfront is curved and has an elaborate fascia with a blank shield and two blank panels adorned with scrolls. No. 39 includes a staircase with a mahogany handrail and cast iron stick balusters linked by circles. Although the chambers were not inspected, "The Architect" notes that they include stone staircases and a layout with sitting rooms at the front and staircases and bedrooms at the back. This building type is unusual, and it is rare to find Butterfield involved in speculative housing.