Nos. 20 And 21 And Attached Railings

This listing covers Nos. 20 and 21 New King Street, a pair of terrace houses built between 1764 and 1770, with alterations in the 19th century. The houses are constructed of limestone ashlar, with some coursed rubble to the rear, and have slate roofs. They are generous in scale, featuring a double mansard roof and an entrance with a staircase to the left.

The houses are three storeys high, with an attic and basement, and each has a single window front. No. 20 has two twelve-pane dormers. The upper windows are tripartite sash windows with twelve panes, while the ground floor has paired twelve-pane sashes, and the basement has paired plain sashes, all within splayed surrounds. No. 21 has twelve-pane dormers, but plain sash windows below, following the same pattern as No. 20. Both houses share an identical six-panel door within an architrave and pedimented doorcase supported by pilasters with consoles. A platband runs across the front, stepped slightly at the centre, and a modillion cornice is stopped at the ends, below a blocking course and parapet. This parapet is set higher than that of the neighbouring No. 19. Prominent stacks are located to the right of each house, and a central lead downpipe is present. The rear elevation mirrors the front, with straight drip courses to the ground and first floor sash windows.

The interior of No. 20 (as seen in 1987) contains fine cornicing in the hall and over the staircase, along with Doric pilasters to the hall arch and features on the staircase. Simple railings on a stone curb enclose the basement areas and return to the doorways. The external fabric indicates a staggered building history, with the overall terrace showing consistency of detail but variations in elevation, reflecting the construction in smaller sections. Straight joints mark these sections.