No. 8 And Attached Railings

No. 8 Russell Street is a house, later converted into flats, built circa 1771-1773. It was designed by John Wood the Younger and is located within a street developed by him alongside the Assembly Rooms and Rivers Street. The front of the building is constructed from limestone ashlar, while the rear utilizes a combination of ashlar and rubble. It features a double-pile, parapeted mansard roof covered in artificial slate, with two ashlar chimney stacks on the left party wall, early clay pots on the rear stack, and a smaller ashlar stack rising from the rear wall.

The building presents a three-window front, with three storeys, an attic, and a basement. The first floor has three plate glass sash windows with arched jambs and cornices; the second floor features three sash windows in ovolo moulded architraves. The ground floor contains two sash windows on the left and a six-panel front door with fielded panels and a decorative fanlight, framed by a chamfered round headed reveal, alongside a Pennant paved crossover with a cast iron footscraper. The basement has a mix of sash windows and a C20 six-panel door. Dormers with plate glass windows are positioned in the attic. A band course runs above the ground floor, and a modillion eaves cornice tops the building. A lead hopperhead and downpipe are attached to the left side, shared with No. 7 Russell Street. The rear elevation includes two-over-two sash windows and a C19 parapeted extension.

The inspected ground floor features a dog leg staircase with shaped cheek-pieces, three turned balusters per tread, a mahogany handrail, plasterwork decoration of arabesques in the hall arch, and a palmette frieze to the moulded plaster cornice. The front ground floor flat incorporates a C20 fireplace, dado panelling, enriched plasterwork cornices, and "floating" plasterwork mouldings defining alcoves. The building showcases fat ovolo architraves, with some ceilings lowered to accommodate subdivided rear rooms, and includes ovolo moulded six-panel doors.

Historically, Russell Street was developed by John Wood in conjunction with the Assembly Rooms, following the purchase of land from Thomas and Daniel Omer in 1768. The front area is delineated by attached railings.