Appraisal

Nos. 1-3, Neal’s Yard

The south-eastern side of the Yard comprises a group of three, early-19^th century, much altered three, three/four and three-storey buildings – nos. 1, 2 and 3, Neal’s Yard, respectively.

No. 1, has a substantially rebuilt front elevation with wide, three-part, window openings at first and second floor levels – the central bays at both levels containing pairs of panelled doors, and the bays to each side containing pairs of casement windows. The ‘shopfront’ comprises fully-folding glazed timber doors below an externally-illuminated fascia and retractable, projecting blind.

No. 2 comprises a three and part-four storey, four-bay property. Regrettably, the stock brickwork of the elevation has been over-painted in light yellow. The segmentally-arched window openings at first and second floor levels contain subdivided sash windows, except for two openings – one at each level – which contain inward-opening glazed timber doors. The upper doors are sheltered below a projecting gabled timber housing. An exposed timber beam spans the wide openings at ground floor level. There is a wholly inappropriate, externally-illuminated dark blue tiled fascia above the central opening which contains a pair of modern glazed internal doors and a pair of timber-boarded outer doors. The wide opening on the right hand side contains fully-folding glazed aluminium doors to the restaurant. At first floor level, one of the brick piers carries an attractively lettered circular slate plaque: ‘Nicholas Saunders, 1938-1998, He put Neal’s Yard on the map’.

No. 3 comprises a three-storey, part one/part two-bay property, over-painted in light green. The segmentally-arched window openings at first and second floor levels contain modern, full height, casements with glazed balustrades at first floor level, above a fully-folding glazed aluminium doors to the restaurant at ground floor level.

The Yard, both as a modestly scaled urban space and the buildings that surround it are of particular townscape and architectural interest and value, contributing positively to the character, appearance and significance of the Seven Dials Conservation Area.

With its plants and idiosyncratic street furniture, Neal’s Yard is a very successful and popular space and should be left much as it is. An effort should be made to perpetuate the character of the Yard by avoiding homogenised detail in the future. However, there is scope to effect a number of minor improvements, including the careful removal of the tiled fascia on no. 2.