Numbers 5 To 8 And Attached Forecourt Walls, Steps And Railings

This is a planned mews terrace built in the mid- to late 19th century, situated on the Hoe in Plymouth. The buildings are constructed of stucco with stucco detailing and have dry slate or asbestos slate roofs, with slightly projecting eaves. The end houses have higher roofs, and stepped brick end and axial stacks are present. The buildings follow a double-depth plan; numbers 5 to 7 each have two rooms at the front and a central entrance hall, while number 8 has one room at the front with its entrance hall to the left.

The exterior is three storeys high, with a basement level. Nos. 5 to 7 have a symmetrical three-window front, while No. 8 has a two-window range. The windows are likely original horned sashes. Ground-floor windows and doorways are set within channelled rustication, under segmental arches. First-floor windows have moulded architraves rising from mid-floor strings, with central oriels on brackets to Nos. 5 to 7, and pilastered tripartite windows with a moulded entablature. Second-floor windows also have a similar string and single or paired pilastered lights with keyed round arches. The interior was not inspected, but is believed to be of interest.

Subsidiary features include forecourt walls, boundary walls, and ramped walls flanking entrance bridges. These are surmounted by wrought-iron railings with arrowhead finials and turned stanchions with turned finials.

The terrace is included in the listing as part of an important planned group of terraces and villas on the Hoe, a scheme that positioned Plymouth at the forefront of town planning in the early to mid 19th century.