Malmesbury House

Malmesbury House, originally known as Copt Hall, is a substantial dwelling with a history spanning several centuries. The first house on the site was demolished in 1399 and rebuilt in 1416. Sections of 14th and 16th-century work are incorporated into the Close Wall, and the east front is viewed in connection with St Anne's Gate. The building underwent significant recasing during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The house is two storeys and has an attic, constructed of ashlar stone. The west front features a plain first-floor string course and a deep, moulded cornice. A steeply pitched hipped roof is covered in old tile, with a tall, hipped central dormer featuring a cornice and architrave surround. Seven windows are present on the first floor, each with a small keystone. The two windows flanking the central window are narrow and two panes wide. A similar arrangement exists on the ground floor, with a restored central entrance framed by a stone architrave, a keystone, and console brackets supporting a moulded pediment. The south front incorporates a single dormer and two restored windows with glazing bars. A large, painted sundial dated 1749 bears the inscription "Life is but a walking shadow." The east front is associated with the property at St Anne’s Gate. The north front exhibits a canted dormer with a hipped roof, and a prominent, circa 1760, superimposed canted bay window. This bay window features Gothic detailing, including sash lights with intersecting glazing bars and ogee heads. The ground-floor section of the bay is taller, with a central French casement. The first-floor bay roof is leaded and shaped.

The interior is exceptionally fine. A spacious staircase, dating to circa 1780, is notable for its twisted balusters, open string, and moulded cut brackets, complemented by stucco decoration including niches for busts. Rococo stucco work is found in the main rooms. The library, lit by a first-floor bay window on the north front, features early Gothic Revival decoration, with a Rococo mantlepiece and leaf-ribbed vaulting in the bay window’s ceiling. The ceiling itself is likely from circa 1800 or later. A smaller Rococo mantlepiece is located in a room with an oriel overlooking St John's Street – Exeter Street. The space above St Anne's Gate is also part of the property.

Malmesbury House, along with Nos 14 and 14A and St Anne’s Gate, forms a picturesque group, and all listed buildings within the Close create an outstanding ensemble.