Appraisal

Nos. 16-18 and Nos. 20-22, Shelton Street

Nos. 16-18
Extending towards the corner of Mercer Street, nos. 16-18, Shelton Street (The London Graphic Centre) is an austere, London Stock brick, former brewery building rising through three, giant storeys, with strongly expressed, brick bands and rusticated quoins and a stone cornice at high level. There are three, flat-arched openings at first and second floor levels, one of which has timber doors and a hinged hoist. The other two have been shortened by the insertion of raised cills and spandrels. There are three deeply-set, segmentally-arched window openings at ground floor level – two to one side and one to the other of a centrally aligned, modestly projecting ‘portico’ with a simple pediment (matching that serving nos. 20-22, Shelton Street) sheltering a grey-granite portal. There are subdivided casement windows at all levels.

A two-storey, splayed wing containing a large, segmentally-arched, glazed entrance to the London Graphic Centre marks the corner with Mercer Street.

Nos. 20-22
With a long return elevation to Langley Street (no. 13-15), nos. 20-22 is an austere London Stock brick, former brewery building rising through five storeys. It has strongly expressed brick bands and rusticated quoins and a stone cornice at high level. There are seven openings (including some blind openings) at each upper floor level and some at half-levels – some set below segmental arches and some set below later lintels - above two, well-designed, steel-framed modern shopfronts of appropriate industrial character at ground floor level. These are one to each side of a centrally aligned, modestly projecting ‘portico’ with a simple pediment (matching that serving nos. 16-18, Shelton Street) sheltering a grey granite portal.

Both of these buildings are of particular architectural and historic interest and townscape value contributing to the character, appearance and significance of the Covent Garden Conservation Area, and merit consideration for listing. .