2 And 3, George Street

Nos. 2 and 3 George Street are a pair of houses dating from around 1760, with alterations made in 1874 by Wilson, Willcox and Wilson to incorporate shops. The houses are constructed of limestone ashlar with rubblestone returns, topped with steep, double-pitched mansard roofs. The front range has slate tiles, while the rear has pantiles. Dormers are present, and the gables feature moulded stacks. The plan is double depth.

The three-storey facades each have a two-window range. A continuous coped parapet returns over the gable ends, and a continuous cornice with stop-chamfered modillions runs along the top. The windows are plate glass sashes without horns. The second floor has painted, moulded architraves, while the first floor features balconettes and splayed reveals to moulded architraves with cornices. A projecting shopfront has a modillion cornice to the fascia and a moulded architrave supported by five fluted Corinthian columns. These columns were brought from the shopfronts of Nos. 1 George Street and 24 Milsom Street when those shopfronts were removed during the 1874 renovations. No. 2 has a door to the left and plate glass shop windows with moulded sills and double half-glazed shop doors to the right. No. 3 is similar, with a six-panel shop door. The rear elevation is not visible.

The houses have a lease dated 28th December 1846, though this is not when they were originally constructed. George Street was begun in 1734 by Wood as part of his Queen Square development. Land north of the street was leased to Daniel Milsom in 1755, and proposals for development, including the eastward extension of George Street and the construction of these houses, were agreed in 1761. Architectural drawings from 1874 note that the cornice and pillars of the shopfront were taken from Nos. 1 George Street and 24 Milsom Street, the sites of which were then used for a new bank. The interiors have not been inspected.