1: Meard Street

And where else to get inspiration for your door’s decorative features but from the ancient temples of Greece and Rome, something the Georgians were obsessed with. A pillar either side underneath a fancy bit of roof (either an entablature or a pediment) was the ultimate way to pimp your porch.

Early doors were tall and filled the entire doorway but around about the 1720s fanlights started to appear above the door as a way to let light into your entrance hall.

Fanlights started off simple at first, as you can see here above Meard’s doors, but as the Georgian era progressed they became much more elaborate in their design.

The carpenter John Meard (possibly the same Meard who worked with Sir Christopher Wren on St Paul’s Cathedral) redeveloped this street in the early 1730s and it is one of the best places in London to experience Early Georgian architecture. Nearly all his houses here are still standing and because they’re so historically important they’re listed at Grade II*.

View the List entries

• 1 to 7 Meard Street
• 2 to 6 Meard Street
• 9 to 11 Meard Street
• 13 to 21 Meard Street

Next stop: 67 and 68 Dean Street