No. 7 And Attached Railings

No. 7 is a house, now flats, dating to circa 1770, developed by Thomas Omer. It is constructed of limestone ashlar to the front, painted to the ground floor, with render to the basement. The building has a double-pile, parapeted roof with double Roman chimneys to the front, featuring early clay pots on the right-hand stack. The rear elevation is not visible.

The house is of three storeys and basement, with a three-window front. The first floor has three two-over-two sash windows in splayed reveals with stone sills and wrought iron balconettes. The second floor mirrors this with plate glass sashes. The ground floor has two two-over-two sash windows in similar reveals, flanking a six-panel door with flush beaded and glazed panels within a beaded and cyma moulded stone surround topped with a moulded hood on shaped brackets. Steps lead to a Pennant paved crossover where a wrought iron foot-scraper is attached to the door surround. The basement has groups of three fixed lights and casements with plate glass in narrow beaded openings. A 20th-century door and area steps are also present. A band course runs above the ground floor, and a moulded eaves cornice is topped by a coped parapet. The interior has not been inspected.

Attached to the property are wrought iron railings and a gate with shaped heads on limestone bases. The site was formerly the property of the Hayne family from 1638, passing by inheritance; plans to sell the land to Thomas Omer for building development were advanced by 1756, finalized in an indenture of 26 February 1765. A Belmont property was constructed on the western edge of the same ground. Prior to building, the area had been cultivated as a vineyard until circa 1730 when the springs that watered it began to fail. The row to the north of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel was originally named Harlequin Row due to the unusual use of brick and stone in its construction.