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Appraisal

Nos. 194-198 (even), Shaftesbury Avenue

Part of the symmetrical 1840s terrace which is visually the northern projection of Monmouth Street, northwards of the junction with Neal Street. Comprising a coherent, classically detailed, four-storey formal terrace of seven, two-bay wide, brick-faced properties fronting Shaftesbury Avenue, with an angled single-bay return to St Giles High Street – Prince’s Circus a its northern end and an angled single-bay return to Neal Street at its southern end. The elevation comprises ground and two storeys and a further, attic, storey above the principal cornice and frieze. There is a sub-cornice at parapet level, with painted, moulded, stucco architraves to the subdivided sash windows, and projecting canopies above the windows at first floor level. None of the original shopfronts survive.

The property at the centre of the terrace - no. 196 - breaks forward modestly and its primary cornice is embellished with mutules. Though modern, its shopfront is characterful, of classical design with a finely detailed cornice with mutules and a well-proportioned fascia extending between consoles at each end and very fine Ionic pilasters towards the centre, all painted white.

No. 194 - Arthur Beale – the long established yacht-chandlers, has a seemly frontage with cornice, a retractable, projecting blind, good, red-enamel applied lettering along the fascia.

No. 198 has a well-preserved, black vitrolite and chrome shopfront carrying applied Trajan lettering ‘Freud’ and an interesting projecting neon sign at first floor level at the centre.

Were the terrace less altered, this whole group would merit listing. However, even as an unlisted group with many adverse alterations at ground floor level, this unlisted terrace is of particular architectural and historic interest and considerable townscape value, contributing positively to the character, appearance significance of the Seven Dials Conservation Area.

The whole of the ground-floor frontage of this terrace would benefit from the restoration of a coherent series of classically detailed, painted-timber shopfronts.