Goodge Street

XLV—GOODGE STREET

This street is shown in full in Tallis's views reproduced here, and it will be seen that there is little regularity in the design of the street although the houses seem to have been kept to a fairly uniform height. One block, that between Whitfield Street and Charlotte Street on the south side seems to have been part of one design since a modillion cornice runs its full length below the third floor windows and the house at each end has a pediment in place of the upper range of windows. Part of this treatment still remains but the end houses have gone, that against Charlotte Street having been rebuilt and that against Whitfield Street having been destroyed in the raids. Even in this row of houses there is no uniformity in the size of the units, some having three and others two windows in their width according to requirements. It will be seen that in Tallis's time all the houses had shops on the ground floor.

The numbering in Tallis's view is consecutive, beginning at Tottenham Court Road (east) on the north side, and returning on the south to finish with No. 56 at the Tottenham Court Road corner. At the present day the even numbers are on the north and the odd numbers on the south, both proceeding from east to west. On the north side, Nos. 2–8 have been rebuilt. Nos. 10–16 have been much damaged; the last named at the east corner of Whitfield Street retains its old shop front with a simple pilaster treatment, facing south and west, the entrance being formed in the quadrant at the angle of the building. Nos. 18, 20, 36 and 38 in the block between Whitfield and Charlotte Streets have been rebuilt. The remaining houses have been partly reconstructed in the 19th-century and Nos. 22, 28 and 30 have wide cement architraves to the windows, entablatures over those on the first floor and moulded cornice to the parapets.

West of Charlotte Street, Nos. 46 and 48 have been destroyed and No. 50 rebuilt. The entrance to Goodge Place is between No. 50 and the site of 52, which is demolished. Nos. 54 and 56 have been rebuilt; Nos. 58 and 60 have been rendered in cement, with more elaborate windows and a balustrade to the parapet which is shown by Tallis. On the west side of No. 60 is an oval boundary plate of the parish, dated 1791.

On the south side several houses have been destroyed and Nos. 21, 23, 25 and 41 rebuilt. Nos. 1 and 3 represent one of the old brick houses of four storeys; Nos. 11 and 13 were refronted in the 19th-century, the former being rendered in cement. Nos. 27 to 41 (with the exception of No. 31) are the remains of the row of brick houses, mentioned above, with a brick dentil course between the second and third floors. No. 31 which is the centre house, projects 4½ inches in front of the others and seems to have been intended to be emphasized (see Tallis's view above). The brick facing differs, however, from that of its neighbours and is now tuck-pointed. Of the houses between Charlotte Street and Charlotte Place, No. 49 has been rebuilt and No. 47 rendered in cement. From Charlotte Place to the old parish boundary the houses are of old brick but Nos. 57 and 59 have been each furnished with quoins at the party walls.

Inhabitants

Goodge Street was a shopping rather than a residential quarter. It is possible that William Clarke, who was living at No. 8 in 1788 was the engraver of that name and that Thomas Linley who was at No. 40 from 1783–1788 was the musical composer who lived from 1732 to 1795.