20, 21 AND 22, HIGH STREET

The building at 20, 21, and 22 High Street is a group of shops with living accommodation above, dating to the late 18th century with later 19th and 20th-century alterations. In 1927, Percival B Rigg redesigned the building for W.H. Smith & Son Ltd.

The building is constructed of limestone ashlar, with the first floor of numbers 21 and 22 painted. It has a double-depth plan with rear wings leading into Northumberland Place. The front is arranged in three, four, and three bays, with numbers 21 and 22 set slightly forward and now combined into a single double-fronted shop. Number 20 has a late 19th-century timber shopfront set forward of the others. The shopfront of numbers 21 and 22 is early 20th century, though it may retain elements of a 1877 shopfront by CE Davis; it was originally designed with an Arts & Crafts character. A glazed tiled panel depicting a toucan advertising nature books is set into a side panel. The lead rainwater header is stamped with “1927” and the initials “W.H. Smith”.

The windows on the first floor of number 20 are late 18th-century style six/six sash windows in plain reveals. Numbers 21 and 22 have plain plate glass six/six sash windows. The second floor of all three properties has six/six sash windows set on a sill band. A cornice runs along the building, above which is a full attic floor with three pairs of six/six sash windows. The roof is not visible, and the end stacks are unadorned.

Number 21 has an 18th-century rendered and painted elevation facing onto Northumberland Place, featuring four storeys and two windows with architraves and a pediment containing a coat of arms. This elevation effectively blocks views along Northumberland Place. The rear facade of number 21 has a panelled door with overlight and two six/five sashes on each floor. An upper pedimented gable incorporates a royal coat of arms within a semi-circular niche. Number 21 includes an Art Nouveau style mosaic paved lobby with the lettering "Crook & Sons", dating to around 1904.

An inspection of number 22 in 1979 revealed a Georgian staircase with Doric colonnettes, a bolection moulded panel above the fireplace on the first floor, and possible 17th-century panelling. The second floor has Victorian stencilling and fine panelling. A staircase leading to Northumberland Passage has very wide winders.