No. 5 and Attached Railings

This is a house, built around 1799, and likely designed by John Pinch the Elder, marking his first major architectural work. It was leased on 25th March 1799 and constructed on land that was formerly part of the pleasure grounds of No.14 Royal Crescent, belonging to Charles Hamilton. Later purchased by the Pulteney Estate in 1791, the project involved surveys by Thomas Baldwin and plans by Thomas Chantry, which were superseded by Pinch’s designs.

The property is constructed of limestone ashlar to the front, with ashlar and rubble to the rear. It is a three-storey, attic, and basement house, with a double-pile, parapeted mansard roof covered in Welsh slate, and a coped party wall to the left with two truncated render stacks.

To the front, the first floor has three six/six-sash windows in plain reveals, and the second floor has three similar windows, the rightmost of which has a single opening pane in the upper sash. The ground floor has two similar windows with stone sills, and a six-panel door with flush panels, moulding, a latch key-hole with escutcheon, and a simple fanlight in a round-headed reveal. A wrought iron foot-scraper is attached to the door's right. A single step leads to a pennant-paved crossover. The basement has two plate glass, horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, and a panelled door under the crossover, partially infilled with a glazed screen. Limestone and pennant steps with a wrought iron handrail lead to the basement entrance. A double dormer features plate glass, horned sashes. Architectural details include a band course over the ground floor, sill bands to the first and second floors, a frieze, a dentil eaves cornice, and a coped parapet.

The rear elevation features six/six-sashes, plate glass with horns to the second floor, six plate glass to a single dormer, and a six-pane half-glazed back door. The interior was severely dilapidated in 1994 and has since been repaired, with cornices replaced using moulds taken from surviving sections. A cantilevered stone staircase has wooden inserts where wear has occurred. The front room contains a pair of ornamental dressers, whilst other interior features have been rebuilt to the original design.

Attached to the front are wrought iron railings and a gate with shaped tops on painted limestone bases. Northampton Street was built around 1800, this house being one of seventeen constructed in the street.