20, 20A AND 21, WEST STREET

Nos. 20, 20A, and 21 West Street are shops and offices that were originally a house. The building features an 18th-century front that has been refronted in red brick, with a timber-framed structure dating back to the 17th century or earlier. It has a tiled roof with two brick chimneystacks and stands three storeys tall with three windows. The second floor has six-pane sash windows, while the first floor has nine-pane sash windows. The ground floor of No. 20A features a bow shop front in the style of the early 20th century or early 19th century. No. 21 has a late 19th-century shop front, and No. 20 has a central late 18th-century or early 19th-century pedimented doorcase with brackets and reeded pilasters. The left side elevation displays two cambered casements and traces of 17th-century brickwork on the two lower floors.

Inside, No. 20 has some exposed framing, while No. 20A boasts a remarkable plaster ceiling from around 1645-1655. This ceiling was commissioned by the Earl of Shaftesbury for a small drawing room in St Giles' house near Wimborne in Dorset, where it can still be seen. It is believed that the Earl wanted to preview the design, leading the plasterer to create a half-scale model in his own living room. The ceiling features a deep profile with a central oval panel adorned with strapwork design, cherubs, shells, and two grotesque heads holding a swag. Surrounding this is a border of intricately carved fruit, encircled by oval guilloche moulding that branches into three panels on each side and two at each end, complete with brackets and circular designs. This ceiling represents a more rustic interpretation of Inigo Jones' ceilings from the 1630s.