76, Dean Street W1

No. 76 Dean Street is a terraced town house built between 1732 and 1733 by Thomas Richmond. The building is constructed of stock brick with red brick dressings and features stuccoed quoin pilasters, topped with a slate roof. Its austere facade is softened by the rustication of the first-floor windows, and it boasts a remarkable painted stair compartment that creates an illusion of depth. The house has a double pile plan, stands four storeys high with a basement, and is four windows wide. The entrance, located in the second bay from the right, features a six-panel wooden door framed by Ionic pilasters and an entablature with a bracketed cornice. The windows are recessed glazing bar sash types, set under red brick segmental arches, with the first-floor windows showcasing painted stucco rusticated surrounds and arches. Notably, the second window from the left is wider and taller, topped with an elliptical arched rusticated voussoir head. Inside, the house has a fine panelled interior with enriched cornices and eared architrave doorways. A standout feature is the trompe l'oeil painted stair compartment, which depicts rusticated masonry and a Greek fret at the lower stage, while the first-floor stage is theatrically painted to resemble a Corinthian column loggia framing views of classical ruins and seascapes. The south wall features a fanciful portrait of a first-rate Ship of the Line. The staircase is made of fine cut and carved wood, with fluted Doric column balusters and newels that are scrolled at the foot, accompanied by corresponding ramped and pilastered dado panelling that rises to the first-floor gallery.