16-22 (Consec) And Attached Railings

Seven houses forming a palatial range on the north side of St James's Square, built between 1790 and 1793 and designed by John Palmer. The houses were developed on land leased from Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Lord of the manor of Walcot, with construction undertaken by various builders including Thomas Beale and James Beale (No. 19), John Copner (No. 20), and Henry Street (No. 22).

The facades are constructed of limestone ashlar to the front, with rubble and ashlar to the rear. The roofs are double pile parapeted mansard, covered with Welsh slate to the front and Welsh slate, clay pantile and concrete tile to the rear, with coped party walls and six large ashlar stacks retaining some early clay pots.

The nineteen-bay range extends across three storeys with attics, basement and sub-basement. The composition is symmetrical, with the central house (No. 19) breaking forward and enriched by a giant order of four Corinthian pilasters supporting a triangular pediment. The houses at the left and right ends (Nos. 16 and 22) are treated as pavilions, each breaking forward with full-height segmental bows featuring Venetian windows to the first floor, flanked by single Corinthian pilasters. No. 16 presents one bay to the square front, with a two-bay entrance front angled to Park Street. No. 22 shows one bay to the square front, with a four-bay entrance front angled to Great Bedford Street. Nos. 17, 18, 20 and 21 have three or four bays each.

Fenestration typically comprises six-over-six sashes in plain reveals to the first floor, with plate glass horned sashes in Venetian windows at the end pavilions. A blind fanlight sits over the centre west. Wrought iron balconettes are present to Nos. 16, 17, 19 and 21. Similar sashes with stone sills occupy the second floor, with No. 17 having wrought iron balconettes and the ground floor similarly fenestrated. No. 16 has a continuous wrought iron balconette. Six-panel doors with reeded and fielded panels sit in plain reveals to Nos. 17, 18 and 20, while Nos. 19 and the end pavilions have round-headed reveals with decorative fanlights. Doors are typically approached by a single step across crossovers paved with very large pennant slabs. Basements retain six-over-six sashes in plain reveals with stone sills and openings to sub-basements. Early area steps with wrought iron handrails are present to Nos. 19, 20 and 21, with some infilled below crossover. Single, double and triple dormers, largely altered in the 20th century, occupy the attics.

Decorative detailing includes a moulded band course over the ground floor, a moulded sill band to the first floor windows, and a moulded band course over the first floor windows breaking upwards over the round heads of the centre and Venetian windows. A frieze, moulded dentil eaves cornice and coped parapet complete the elevation. Lead downpipes run between Nos. 17 and 18 and between Nos. 20 and 21. No. 17 has a wrought iron lamp bracket over the front door.

The Park Street elevation of No. 16 features two plate glass sashes in plain reveals to the first floor, with two similar sashes to each of the second and ground floors. A six-panel door with flush and fielded panels and cast iron knocker sits in a timber pedimented Corinthian doorcase. The Great Bedford Street elevation of No. 22 is similar, with plate glass horned sashes and blind windows, a six-panel door with reeded and fielded panels surmounted by a three-pane overlight in a pedimented Doric doorcase, and a lead hopperhead to the centre.

Rear elevations are partially visible, largely retaining early glazing bar sashes and early ashlar extensions. No. 18 has an oval light to the first half landing of the stairs. Nos. 17 and 18 have lead hopperheads.

Interior features documented at the time of a past site visit include: No. 16, wrought iron lyre-type balusters to the stair, Neo-classical cornices and a chimney-piece with reeded surround to the first floor rear room; No. 17, a fine Neo-classical marble chimney-piece with relief of grapes to the ground floor front room, and a sideboard recess; No. 18, a Neo-classical chimney-piece and cornice to the ground floor front room, and stairs with column and vase balusters (the ground floor is now altered); No. 21, some cornices in situ with later chimney-pieces; and No. 22, a basement kitchen with a heavy stone fireplace and a large in-situ wooden cupboard.

Attached cast iron railings and gates of baluster form with shaped heads on limestone bases complete the setting.

St James's Square represents a development in town planning theory following Wood's Queen Square. The diagonally set approach roads—St James's Street from the south-east, Marlborough Street from the south-west, Great Bedford Street from the north-east and Park Street from the north-west—form part of the overall conception, creating a more picturesque urban effect comparable to the contemporary Laura Place and Sydney Place.