Appraisal

No. 75, Monmouth Street, elevation on Shelton Street

No. 75 with the flats above, with frontages to both Monmouth Street and Shelton Street and a splaycorner pointing southwards to Upper St Martin’s Lane, is a brick-faced building of three storeys rising to four storeys set above a ground floor storey of painted plain and rusticated render. It forms the southern apex of Terry Farrell and Partners Phase III Comyn Ching Triangle development of 1989-91.

The external elevation of the splay corner was altered in 2016. The ‘drum’ to the rear, at the southern corner of Ching Court, together with the building forming the northern apex of the Comyn Ching Triangle development and the building at the corner of Shelton and Mercer Streets designed by Terry Farrell and Partners, were listed in November, 2016. However, anomalously, the immediately adjacent parts of no. 75, Monmouth Street and no. 1, Shelton Street, were not listed at the same time.

The ingenious treatment of the corner forms a good entrance to the Seven Dials Conservation Area when approached from the south. The bands of blue brickwork introduce an attractive polychrome effect. The treatment of the subdivided fenestration is sympathetically handled and relates well to the 18th century windows in the rest of the street.

Regrettably the projecting shopfronts on to Monmouth Street and Shelton Street, whilst incorporating features of authentic traditional character, lack cornices and are anomalously low in overall height. The right hand end of the fascia carries the street number incised into a small ‘label’. Two flower boxes are perched on the lead covered ledge above the shopfront below the windows at first floor level.

Although unlisted and partly altered, the building is of considerable townscape value, contributing positively to the character, appearance and significance of the Seven Dials Conservation Area.

There is considerable scope to improve the shopfronts by reducing the depth of their fascias by adding cornices.