Nos. 38-45 (Consec) And Attached Railings

Eight houses forming a palace front on the south side of St James's Square, built c.1790–1793. Designed by John Palmer, with No.38 built by Henry Street.

The exterior is constructed of limestone ashlar to the front, with ashlar, rubble and coursed squared limestone to the rear. The roofs are double pile parapeted mansards with Welsh slate and clay pantiles to some upper slopes at the rear, with ashlar stacks featuring some early clay pots to the front and rear ranges.

The composition is symmetrical, with the centre enriched by a giant order of four Corinthian pilasters and triangular pediment. The houses at the left and right ends (Nos 38 and 45) feature full-height segmental bows with Venetian windows to the first floor, flanked by single Corinthian pilasters. No.38 to the left has a single-bay front; Nos 39–44 have three-bay fronts; No.45 to the right has a single-bay front. No.38 has a three-bay entrance front at an angle to the left side on St James's Street, while No.45 has a three-bay entrance front at an angle to the right side on Marlborough Street.

The buildings rise three storeys with attics and basements, forming a twenty-bay range. The first floor features plate glass sashes in plain reveals, with two-over-two sashes to Nos 38 and 39, and wrought iron balconettes to Nos 39, 41, 43, 44 and 45. The second floor has similar windows with stone sills, lowered to Nos 41 and 42. The ground floor has similar windows with wrought iron balconettes to Nos 39 and 45.

Six-panel doors with beaded, reeded and fielded panels in plain reveals are round-headed to Nos 39, 41, 43 and 44, with decorative fanlights. No.39 incorporates a lantern. No.42 has a moulded architrave in a flat-shouldered surround and pediment on console brackets. A pennant-paved crossover sits flush with the pavement. Basements feature glazing bar sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, variously infilled below crossovers. Early area steps with wrought iron handrails are present to Nos 38, 42 and 45.

Single and double dormers with plate glass and glazing bar sashes appear on Nos 39 and 41–44, retaining moulded architraves. A moulded band course runs over the ground floor, with a moulded sill band to first floor windows. A moulded band course over the first floor windows breaks upwards over the round heads of the centre and Venetian windows. A frieze, moulded dentil eaves cornice and coped parapet complete the composition. Corinthian pilasters to the pedimented centre and flanking bows spring from a moulded sill course at the first floor windows.

The left side facing St James's Street (No.38) has 19th-century windows to the first and second floors and centre, to the centre with coloured glazed borders and blind windows to the right. A mid-19th-century projecting painted ashlar doorcase to the ground floor left features a six-panel door with flush and fielded panels and a single-pane overlight in a round-headed opening with small round-headed openings with stone sills to left and right, each with a moulded archivolt with keystone. The centre has an incised numeral '38' springing from an unmoulded impost, with frieze and dentil cornice. A 1926 timber shopfront by Rolfe and Peto (see also No.37 St James's Square) to the right features two plate glass windows with bordered glazing above the transom, splayed to a glazed door and overlight with bordered glazing to the centre. Console brackets flank a panelled fascia with gilded lettering reading 'CHEMISTS / HAWES, WHISTON AND CO / PHARMACISTS' behind glass, with a dentil cornice and blind box. A hanging sign bracket, probably early 20th century, carries a sign with lettering 'CHEMIST' painted behind glass. The band course over the ground floor and sill band to the first floor continue unmoulded from St James's Square, with a moulded eaves cornice.

The right side facing Marlborough Street (No.45) has six-over-six sashes, most with horns, and blind windows to the first and second floors. A similar sash and blind window appears to the ground floor left and right. An ashlar Ionic porch and crossover to the centre has a pair of three-panel doors with reeded, fielded and glazed panels with narrow side lights featuring decorative intersecting glazing bars, approached by four pennant steps. The porch has fixed lights with bordered glazing to left and right sides, two Ionic columns attached to the front, an entablature with fluted frieze, moulded cornice and blocking course. The band course over the ground floor and sill band to the first floor continue unmoulded from the front. A band course features a 19th-century painted street name 'MARLBOROUGH STREET', with frieze, moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet.

Rear elevations largely feature 19th and 20th-century windows to the upper floors. Nos 40 and 43 retain early six-over-six sashes to the second floor, with lower floors not visible. Small one-and-a-half storey ashlar extensions to the rear of Nos 39 and 41, and a similar two-and-a-half storey extension to No.43, are present. No.42 has a large full-height 19th-century rear wing.

The interiors have not been inspected.

Attached wrought iron railings and gates with shaped heads on limestone bases are present, including a crane to No.43.

The development was undertaken on land leased by Messrs. Fielder, King, Hewlett and Broome from Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Lord of the Manor of Walcot, on 25 March 1790. St James's Square succeeded John Wood's Queen Square, representing a development in town planning theory. 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. Contemporary examples of this tendency include Laura Place and Sydney Place. The underlease of No.38 was granted to Henry Street on 18 September 1790 for 96 years from 24 June 1790.