Numbers 8, 10 and 12 and Attached Area Railings

This is a terrace of four town houses, built around 1840 as part of the development of Clarence Street by builder William Rees. Part of the building has been altered in the late 20th century. The houses are constructed of ashlar stone, with hipped slate roofs and brick stacks. Number 12 is a larger house, originally on the corner of the street, that is now joined to number 10, incorporating a single-storey wing facing Russell Street.

The fronts of the houses facing Clarence and Russell Streets are characterized by a rusticated ground floor, topped by a raised band at first-floor level. The two northern bays are defined by shallow piers. Above that, the width of each of the two-bay houses is accentuated by slender pilasters with moulded bases and capitals, with another raised band between them at second-floor level, and a crowning entablature with a parapet that hides roof dormers. Each house has a recessed doorway with a rectangular fanlight and panelled door approached by stone steps. The ground-floor windows are sashes, except for two sashes at the north end of number 12. The upper floors each have two sashes, with vertical bars to the sides, except for the sashes in the two northern bays of number 12, which have margin bars.

The front of number 12 facing Russell Street is symmetrical, with a slightly projecting central bay. The central ground-floor doorway has rusticated jambs and a segmental-arched head, with an entrance containing a glazed door and surround. There are sashes in either side of the doorway. The first floor has a semicircular arched sash in the central bay, with moulded imposts and archivolt, and a raised keystone. The bays to either side have sashes in openings with moulded architraves, raised keystones, and projecting sills. The second floor has two narrow semicircular arched sashes in the central bay, set within panelled pilasters above a balustraded apron and shaped brackets supporting a cornice. The side bays have sashes with shouldered architraves and projecting sills. All the sashes have margin bars. The single-storey wing to the left has an offset plinth, moulded cornice and a parapet, and a seven-light window with stone mullions and a projecting sill.

The interior was not inspected. Wrought-iron railings are present at the basement areas.