Regency Town House Ready For Repair

Dating from around 1820, the dignified uniformity of this terrace of Georgian houses rising towards Mecklenburg Square forms part of the second wave of development in Doughty Street in the early 19th century, the original street having extended only as far as what is now Guildford Street.

Like its neighbours, this distinguished home possesses immense presence and stands as a superb example of London’s domestic architecture, its classical layout extending to nearly 4,000 sq. ft across five floors.

The elegant façade incorporates fine period detailing. A combination of original and replacement iron railings lines the boundary, together with a simple York stone plinth bridging the entrance door and pavement. Decorative jambs and a pediment frame a panelled door with a delicate fanlight above, opening into a lobby entrance with repaired wainscoting and a second fanlight.

At present, the dining room is situated at the front of the house on the ground floor, a room full of light and volume and complemented by a wealth of features. Deep shuttered sash windows, an ornate curved corner wall and decorative acanthus coving all speak to the high-status nature of the house.

A second reception room to the rear of the house, with original wainscoting, leads through to a modern utility room with shower.

The colourful, recently added kitchen is located within a Victorian extension at the very back of the house, with a door opening onto the private rear courtyard.

The entire lower ground floor is ready for repurposing. It is likely that its original use was as the kitchen and scullery serving the household, while a deep recess within the front room suggests the former position of
the range. In addition, there are two cavernous undercrofts to the front of the house, as well as a smaller one to the rear, together with an original wine cellar, brick-vaulted and retaining its original limewash in remarkably good order.

The piano Nobile and withdrawing room sit alongside one another at first-floor level. Both are magnificent rooms with superb proportions and much of the original interior fabric still intact. The shutters in the front room remain in situ, while a set of stripped and waxed shutters has been left ready for reinstallation in the rear room. Coving and floorboards survive, along with the opportunity, subject to planning consent, to reinstate the doors between the two rooms, which are currently concealed by basic shelving, possibly a later addition from the period when the house was used as office space.

A commanding principal bedroom suite now occupies the entire second floor, where much of the preparatory work has already been completed, including underfloor heating pipework laid in readiness for the heating system. A door opens through to a generous en suite and dressing area.

At the top of the house, beneath a new Welsh slate dormer roof, two double bedrooms share a bathroom and a small reception area.