5 And 6, St James'S Street

Two houses, now converted to a shop with accommodation over, built around 1790–1793 by John Palmer. The building has been substantially altered in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The exterior is constructed of limestone ashlar with parapeted mansard roofs. The roofs are tiled with concrete tiles to the upper slopes and artificial slate to the lower, with coped party walls dividing the two properties and truncated ashlar stacks to either side.

The front elevation rises three storeys plus an attic and basement, arranged as a single bay with three windows across each storey. The first floor contains three plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals, narrower to the left and right of each house. The second floor has three similar windows with continuous stone sills, with plain reveals to the right (No. 5) and matching reveals to each house. Each storey is divided by a weathered sill band continuous across both houses and extending to No. 4 St James's Street.

The ground floor contains two mid to late 19th century timber shopfronts. The left shopfront (No. 6) has a three-light plate glass window with V-section mullions and segmental arched heads to each light with carved spandrels, a timber sill, and 20th century tiles to the stall riser. A disused shop door is glazed with a flush panel below and an overlight with segmental head matching the window. The door to the upper floors at the far left has four moulded and single glazed upper panels with a plate glass overlight. The whole is framed by a surround with four panelled pilasters flanking the shop door and at each end, carved console brackets, and a modillion cornice.

The right shopfront (No. 5) has two plate glass windows with segmental heads and carved spandrels similar to the adjoining shopfront, with moulded timber sills and 20th century tiles to the stall riser. These windows flank a glazed door with a flush lower panel. Pilaster strips flank the door and extend to either side, supporting an entablature with a moulded cornice and pendentive decoration.

Each house has a triple dormer with plate glass sashes. A moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet run continuously across both houses and extend to No. 4 St James's Street.

The rear elevations each retain early glazing-bar sashes to the staircases. No. 5 has a wrought iron balconette to the first half landing. Later 20th century sashes appear in altered openings to rooms, and both retain panelled doors. Pavement gratings provide access to vaults beneath No. 6, with a similar opening fitted with glass bricks serving No. 5.

The interior of No. 6 is noted as having a stick baluster dog-leg staircase. The two houses were united and converted into flats in 1971.

The building forms part of the incomplete St James's Square development. The land was leased from Sir Peter Rivers Gay on 25 March 1790 by Fielder, King, Hewlett and Broom. St James's Street is one of four diagonal approaches to St James's Square, together exemplifying the application of Picturesque principles to town planning.