84, 85 AND 86, ST MARY STREET

Nos. 84, 85, and 86 on St Mary Street in Weymouth are mid-19th century offices with a shop, featuring a rendered exterior and a slate roof. This large commercial block is designed in a classical style and extends to Bond Street.

The building has three storeys and consists of eight by six bays. It is divided by giant Composite pilasters between the first and second floors, with paired pilasters on the Bond Street side. All windows are plain sashes set in reveals on stone sills; the second-floor windows are nearly square, while the first-floor windows are deep, extending close to the floor.

The ground floor of Nos. 84 and 85 has channelled rustication, with four high arched openings and one lower arched opening, all filled with plate glass down to the plinth level. The first bay features a pair of panelled doors beneath a deep transom light that includes the arch, while the fifth bay has doors under a fanlight within a moulded architrave. Above the arcade is a frieze with a cornice supported by consoles. A full classical entablature and balustrade with plain blockings are present above the pilasters, which also return to Bond Street.

The ground floor of No. 86 has been altered in the 20th century with a plate glass insertion that returns to the right. This return includes two blind lights, two two-light casements, and two nine-pane sashes on the second floor, positioned above two blank spaces and four fifteen-pane sashes. The shop front at ground level continues under the blind bays, featuring channelled rustication beneath a bold moulded cornice, with a large tripartite sash with stone mullions and two single sashes, all set on stooled sills.

Although the interior was not inspected, the building is noted for its grand urban design that reflects the dignity of the 18th century, despite the unfortunate modifications to the ground floor. It is similar in style to the adjacent Nos. 8 and 9 Bond Street, which are less scholarly in their execution.