No. 37 Great George Street

No. 37 Great George Street (Demolished)

General Description and Date of Structure.

No reference has been found to this house before its occupation in 1793. It can hardly be doubted, however, that like Nos. 35 and 36, it had been in existence for many years.

The premises had the usual brick frontage to Great George Street, and a return stone front overlooking St. James's Park, which was treated in a more decorative manner (Plate 68). The façade to the park comprised four storeys, faced with Portland stone, with wings slightly advanced and terminated with pediments, while decorative "Venetian" windows were introduced to each of the three main storeys. The central portion of the façade was very restrained, and had a light iron balcony at the first-floor level, which acted as a connecting link with the wings. When demolished in 1910 it was re-erected by H.M. Office of Works on the Horse Guards Parade to form a new façade to the old Paymaster-General's office. No record has been found to identify the architect of this design, but it was probably erected at a later date than the brick portion of the premises, as it was noticed at the time of demolition that there was no bond with the return front. Moreover, the corresponding flat bands were at different levels. The brick front to Great George Street carried out the general lines of the other houses in the street, though the modillion cornice was omitted and a flat band substituted. This variation was probably adopted on account of the cornice to the stone front being at a higher level. The entrance doorway was decorated with wood Ionic columns similar to those at No. 36, and had an ornamental wrought-iron lamp-bracket to the front railings.

The rooms contained no special features.

The staircase had an elliptical skylight and an iron balustrading, whilst the passageway on the ground floor had elliptical domes to the ceiling supported on pendentives springing from decorated wall brackets of plaster.

An illustration is shown of the interior treatment of one of the Venetian windows (Plate 69).

Historical Notes.

According to the ratebooks the occupiers of No. 37 Great George Street up to 1840 were as follows:—

Capell Cure had lived at No. 10 Great George Street for two years before coming to No. 37, of which he seems to have been the first occupier. On 22nd December, 1823, his son, "Capel Cure of Blake Hall, Bobbingsworth, Essex, Esq." granted a lease (fn. n1) (for 32½ years) of the premises to Alexander Mundell, "of Parliament Street, Westminster, Esq." (fn. n2) The house is described as "the corner house next to St. James' Park heretofore in the occupation of Capel Cure Esq., deceased … and then lately of William Tetton Hibbert, Esq."

In the Council's Collection are:—

(fn. n3) General exterior to St. James's Park (photograph).
(fn. n3) do. do. Great George Street, looking east (photograph).
do. do. Great George Street, looking west (photograph).
(fn. n3) General view of entrance doorway (photograph).
do. do. entrance passage (photograph).
do. do. staircase at first-floor landing (photograph).
do. do. staircase at second-floor landing (photograph).
Detail of plaster cornice (photograph).
Marble mantelpiece to central room on first floor (photograph).
(fn. n3) Interior of "Venetian" window to rear room on first floor (photograph).
(fn. n3) Ground and first-floor plans (measured drawing).