56 Water Street

56 Water Street is a 19th-century building constructed of red brick, featuring gold terracotta bands and dressings, topped with a slate roof. The structure includes a row of four shops along the Water Street elevation, which are now used as offices. At the corner with Crescent Road, there is a larger shop that has a unique architectural design, consisting of a two-window range facing Water Street and a single window return on Crescent Road, with an angled corner.

The Water Street elevation is characterized by two advanced pedimented bays that house entrances, flanked by shop fronts. The first floor features outer and paired central canted oriel windows. The doorways are set back in segmental arches, adorned with mannerist pilasters framing the architraves. The flanking shop fronts also have recessed doorways and curved shop windows, which are divided by slim mullions and high-set transoms, with small upper panes. Above the doorways, there are sash windows.

The taller corner block is distinguished by large segmentally arched windows, which have scrolled voussoirs and small upper panes on each floor. These windows are set between mannerist pilasters on the ground floor and plain pilasters above. A continuous moulded cornice and blocking course bands run along the top. The entrance at the corner is framed by a segmentally arched architrave, with a hoodmould supported by bold mannerist brackets. Above this, a canted turret projects out, featuring three narrow sash windows with rubbed brick heads and an ogee leaded roof topped with a fleche.

Decorative low relief panelling, which includes a clock, is located below the roof. The building also features segmentally arched pedimented gables with ball finials and scrolled kneelers at the attic level on either side of the tower, as well as on the rear return facing Water Street. These gables are accented with oculi in cartouches that include keystones and voussoirs.