53-57, Upper Montagu Street W1

This is a row of four terraced houses with shops, built around 1790 to 1800, as part of the Portman Estate development. The shops were added or altered around 1800 to 1920. They are constructed of stock brick with a stuccoed ground floor, and No. 57 has been painted. The roofs are hidden behind concealed slate coverings. The buildings are four storeys high and two windows wide. The ground floors feature wooden shop fronts with shallow, segmental, bowed windows, some of which have been altered at No. 53. These shops have brackets supporting an entablature with dentil cornices; at No. 55, the entablature has reeded pilasters and an inswept frieze. The doorways have panelled doors and fanlights. The upper floors have recessed sash windows with glazing bars, set within flat, gauged red brick arches. A stucco band marks the level of the first floor. The buildings are topped with parapets and stone copings.