26-31, Princes Gate SW7

A row of grand houses located at 26-31 Princes Gate, dating from the mid-19th century. The houses are constructed of stucco, with roofs hidden from view. They are four storeys high, including an attic and basement, and each house originally had three windows. The central three houses project slightly forward, and the central house within that group is set further forward than its neighbours. The facades feature rusticated quoins. Each house has a projecting porch with Doric columns. The ground floor is treated with channelling, and a Corinthian balustraded balcony runs along the first floor. Windows are square-headed on the ground and first floors, round-headed on the second and attic floors, and segmental-headed on the third floor. They are sash windows with plate glass. Applied Ionic pilasters and half-columns decorate the first floor, while Corinthian columns are present on the second floor, each with a pediment at the centre of the house. A very ornate cornice runs along the top of the main block, adorned with swags in the attic. Below this is a subsidiary cornice with parapets. The front is completed with cast iron area railings.