No.38 And Attached Railings

No. 38 is a house, later converted into flats, dating to approximately 1790-1793, with alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was designed by John Palmer and forms part of an incomplete development around St James’s Square.

The front of the building is faced with limestone ashlar, while the basement and rear are constructed of rubble. The roof is a mansard design, covered with artificial slate, and features a coped party wall and two ashlar stacks to the right, with some original clay pots. The house is three storeys high, with an attic, basement, and sub-basement, and has a two-window facade. The first floor has two six-over-six sash windows with horns, set in plain reveals, with a right-hand window featuring a splayed reveal and simple balconette. The second floor mirrors this design, but without horns. The ground floor has a similar sash window on the right, with a splayed reveal and balconette, and to the left a six-panel door with fielded panels and a glazed panel, set in a plain reveal within a pedimented Doric doorcase, leading to a pennant-paved crossover. The basement has a six-over-six sash window with a splayed reveal and stone sill. A blocked opening indicates an earlier sub-basement. There are two dormers with six-over-six sash windows set within moulded architraves. The exterior also includes a band course over the ground floor, a frieze, a moulded eaves cornice, and a coped parapet. The rear elevation features early glazing bar sash windows with simple balconettes to the first and second floors, and later two-over-two sashes with similar balconettes to the ground floor. There are relieving arches above the ground floor windows, along with a lead hopper and lead downpipe to the rear right.

The interior was not inspected during the listing process.

Attached to the property are wrought iron railings and a gate with pointed heads on limestone bases.

The house is situated within land leased from Sir Peter Rivers Gay and is historically linked to the incomplete St James's Square development. Lower Park Street forms one of the four diagonal approaches to St James's Square.