The Piazza, Bedford Chambers

This list entry was subject to a Minor Enhancement on 19 March 2025 to amend the description and reformat the text to current standards.

TQ 3080 NW 72/10

CITY OF WESTMINSTER COVENT GARDEN, WC2 Nos 1 to 8 The Piazza, Bedford Chambers (including No 33 James Street)

24.2.58

GV. II Terraced houses with arcade. 1877-79 by Henry Clutton; rebuilding on a larger scale and with modified detail of Inigo Jones's original north west "piazza" block. Red brick with stone dressings, slate roof.

The arcading faithful to the Jones-Isaac de Caus original but the upper floor and pilasters modified with attic storey added. Four storeys plus dormers. Regular eight window wide front with James Street return in rythm 1:3:1. Ground floor proper set back behind rusticated stone arcade (the "piazzas") carrying the facade, the arcade vaulted and shop fronts surmounted by mezzanines within the arches, doorways architraved with console bracketed cornices. First and second floors have stone architraved sashes separated by rhythm of the channelled stone pilasters; attic storey windows in stone panelled strip frames. String course with plinth at first floor level over arcade; projecting bracketed main cornice over second floor and frieze and cornice to attic. Oeil-de-boeuf dormers.

James Street return generally similar but with centre piece of three Gibbs surround doorways surmounted by mezzanine windows below first floor balcony; outer bays with big arched entrances, that on left the return end of arcade to Covent Garden. This Clutton block is the sole if remodelled reminder of the original "piazzas" of Jones's 1631 square.

There are nine gas lamps hung in the arches of the south arcade. These are cradle-mounted Rochester lanterns with external Horstmann control clocks supported by iron brackets. A 1921 photograph shows a single Grosvenor lantern hung in an archway; the Rochester lanterns were probably installed in the 1930s along with many of the nearby column-mounted examples.

Listing NGR: TQ3030580929