5 and 5A Upper Harley Street

The building at 5 and 5A Upper Harley Street is a house built in the 18th century, with later alterations and additions. It occupies a rectangular plot bordered by Brunswick Place, Park Square Mews and a connecting alleyway. The property initially comprised a three-storey rear section and a slightly later front range.

The main front elevation of No. 5 presents as a symmetrical double-fronted villa. It features large tripartite windows with recessed six-over-six pane timber sashes and deep stone cills, flanking a raised central doorway with panelled double-leaf doors, a square overlight, and a moulded surround. The left-hand bay is subtly wider and set back, suggesting a possible later addition. A plat band separates the storeys, and the first floor has flat stucco pilaster-strips and a moulded cornice.

The south-facing return elevation of the building is also stuccoed. The entrance to No. 5A has panelled doors and a square overlight, clearly showing the difference in storey heights between the front and back sections. The rear elevation, facing Park Square Mews, is of plain stock brick, with visible patching, and is dominated by the double doors entering the former coach-house and stables, now garages, with a small cupboard located between.

The interior of both parts of the building has been extensively modernised. Original features within No. 5 include Greek Revival plasterwork in the entrance hallway (a frieze of anthemions, a moulded cornice, and bead-and-reel moulding on the ceiling), a spiral stair with stick balusters and turned newels, and some four-panel doors in moulded timber surrounds. The partition wall to the northern bay is double-thickness, and the ceiling/upper floor level is slightly higher here. No. 5A has a straight dog-leg stair with joinery similar to that in No. 5. The basement and garages contain no notable features.

External features include spear-headed area railings to Brunswick Place, partly re-set, which lead up stone steps to the front door. The steps are flanked by urn finials, while a single gate provides access to service steps that descend to the basement.