31-40, GREEN PARK

The terrace houses at 31-40 Green Park were built around 1795 and are likely the work of John Palmer. They are constructed from limestone ashlar with Welsh slate roofs. The houses have a double-depth plan, with entrances on the right side and staircases located at the rear.

The terrace consists of three storeys, an attic, and a basement, with each house originally featuring three windows. The ground floors are rusticated, meaning the stone blocks are roughly textured, with voussoirs (wedge-shaped stones) and dropped keystones above the openings; however, No. 40 lacks this rustication. Most windows are plain plate glass sashes, although No. 32 retains six-pane sashes. The front doors are six-panelled, with a rectangular light above. No. 40 has a distinctive Tuscan doorcase with half columns and a broken pediment, a panelled door, and a fanlight. A platband and sill band mark the first floor. Wrought iron window guards are present on the first-floor windows of Nos. 32 and 33. Wrought iron area railings with a bridge provide access to each front door. Lead rainwater pipes with decorative hopperheads are situated between Nos. 32/33, 34/35, 36/37, and 38/39. The terrace features a lintel, cornice, and parapet, topped by a mansard roof. Each house originally had two flat-topped dormers, except for No. 40, which has a paired dormer. The ashlar stacks all have pots, a number of which are old clay. The rear elevations are constructed of rubble with some ashlar. Nos. 35 and 37 have projecting wings. The rear windows are mostly six-pane sashes with various dormers, including single, double, and stretched versions; No. 38 has a four-light dormer with two-pane sashes.

Interior inspections have been limited, but many houses retain fine mouldings and fittings. A partial inspection of No. 31 in 1997 revealed an original fireplace with swags, an enriched plaster arch in the hall, a stone staircase with square balusters, and the original handrail. No. 32 contains glazed double doors, a similar staircase, an early Victorian marble fireplace, and an elliptical sideboard arch.

The northern half of the terrace was built first, with the southern half following in the early 19th century. Originally, the terrace was mirrored by an eastern terrace of Green Park, which was demolished around 1950 following bomb damage during the Second World War. The architectural style is similar to John Palmer's other houses from the 1790s in St James's Square, and he was known to have been involved with development in the Green Park area. The terrace is notable for its well-preserved range of coach houses at the end of the gardens, facing onto Midland Bridge Road.