8-13, Upper Wimpole Street W1

A row of terraced town houses at numbers 8 to 13, Upper Wimpole Street, dating from circa 1780 to 1790 and part of the Portland Estate development, likely designed by John White. The houses are constructed of stock brick, with the ground floors stuccoed in a channelled pattern to all but number 12, which has a later stone facing and quoins to its upper floors. They have slate roofs. The houses are four storeys high with basements, and numbers 9, 11 and 13 have dormered mansards. Each front is three windows wide.

The doorways are broad and located to the right; all except the doorway to number 9 are semicircular arched. Numbers 8, 10 and 13 have Coade rustications and head keystones. Number 9 features a pilastered doorway with an entablature; the panelled door is set within paired pilaster strip jambs, with flat consoles to the cornice and a loop-patterned fanlight. Numbers 8 and 10 have panelled doors in fluted antae jambs, cornice-doorheads and patterned fanlights. Numbers 11 to 13 have panelled doors with side lights and panelled dividers, cornice-doorheads and radial glazed fanlights.

The windows are recessed sash windows, with flat gauged arches above, except for number 13 which has stucco architraves. A plat band runs above the ground floor. Number 13 has a parapet with copings and a cornice. Cast iron balconies and balconettes, likely from the early 19th century or Victorian era, are present at the first floor of all properties except numbers 10 and 12. Numbers 8 and 9 retain wrought iron area railings with urn finials and number 9 also features urn-pattern lamp standards with scrollwork brackets and link extinguishers; the remaining houses have cast iron spike finialed railings. The interiors have not been inspected. The group value context is that these houses represent a significant example of late 18th-century townhouse design.