No. 9 Great George Street

X.—No. 9 GREAT GEORGE STREET.

Ground Landlord, etc.

The freehold belongs to the Crown. The premises are in the occupation of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Ltd.

General Description and Date of Structure.

Similar evidence to that in the case of No. 8 is available to show that No. 9 had been at least partly built by the early part of 1756. (fn. n1) The first occupier, however, was John Mackrell, who is shown in the ratebooks as arriving in 1761, and who on 22nd June, 1762, acquired (fn. n2) the remainder of the lease of the plot containing the eleventh house from King Street, said to be at the time actually in his tenure, bounded east by a house in the tenure of Henry Drummond, Esq., west by one in the occupation of Richard Spencer, Esq., and containing in front and rear 27 feet and 110 feet on each side.

The exterior consists of a plain brick front of four storeys over a basement; plain bands denote the first and second-floor levels, while the modillion cornice indicates the third floor. The entrance doorway has side lights, with a semicircular fanlight over the whole.

The main staircase has a wrought-iron balustrading, with panels of a lyreshape design interspaced with plain square bars. The wall surfaces at the first-floor landing are decorated with plaster panels enriched with birds and foliage, and a heavily moulded modillion cornice over. The second-floor level is continued round the staircase as a stringcourse, and has conventional scrolls and foliage in plaster, while the cornice at the top of the well below the lantern light is heavily moulded, and has a cove with baskets of fruit and foliated scrolls.

The back staircase has turned deal balusters and moulded close strings. The top landing to the main staircase has similar balusters.

The front room on the ground floor has moulded panelling with enriched skirtings and chair-rails (Plates 34 and 35). The linings to the windows and doors are carved like the chair-rail, while the doors have also a carved frieze and cornice (Plate 37). The mantelpiece is carved in wood, and has an enriched frieze and cornice, with a centre tablet bearing a representation of the head of Aurora (Plate 36).

The front room on the first floor has also carved skirtings, chair-rails and linings enriched with fret ornament, while the overdoor has a pulvinated frieze and carved cornice.

The off-rooms on the first and second floors have carved wood mantelpieces with decorative friezes, the designs of which are reminiscent of some of the patterns used by Chippendale (Plates 37 and 38).

Condition of Repair.

Good.

Historical Notes.

According to the ratebooks the names of the occupiers of this house up to 1840 were as follows (fn. n3) :—

In the Council's Collection are:—

General view of exterior (photograph).
Plaster decoration to stair landing on first floor (two photographs).
View of staircase balustrading (photograph).
do. do. second-floor landing (photograph).
View of cornice to well of staircase (photograph).
(fn. n4) View of mantelpiece to panelled room on ground floor (photograph).
View of detail of central tablet to mantelpiece on ground floor (photograph).
(fn. n4) Door to panelled room on ground floor (photograph).
(fn. n4) Panelling to front room on ground floor (measured drawing).
(fn. n4) Details of do. do. (measured drawing).
View of door-hood to front room on first floor (photograph).
View of mantelpiece to front room on second floor (photograph).
(fn. n4) Mantelpiece to off-room on first floor (photograph).
(fn. n4) Mantelpiece to off-room on second floor (photograph).