Georgian building with blue plaque dedicated to Dr Joseph Rogers, health care reformer who lived there 1821 to 1889. — 33 Dean Street, City of Westminster, London. Dr Joseph Rogers, health care reformer, lived there 1821 to 1889. © Historic England / Contribution by Charles Watson. View the List entry.

33 Dean Street, City of Westminster, London. Dr Joseph Rogers, health care reformer, lived there 1821 to 1889. © Historic England / Contribution by Charles Watson. View the List entry.

4: 33 and 33a Dean Street

Forty years after the Great Fire of London, Londoners were still a bit jumpy and some of them started freaking out about the overhanging wooden eaves that had once again become all the rage. To get rid of this rampant fire hazard a Building Act was passed in 1707 which insisted that roofs should be hidden behind an 18-inch parapet wall with a cornice of either brick or stone.

33 and 33A Dean Street. | View the List entry.

Rather than being grumpy about the new law, which could have imposed on their artistic architectural flair, the Georgians decided to roll with it and remarked how the appearance of a flat roof totally fitted in with their love of classical proportions and reminded them of the rooflines of ancient temples (have we mentioned how much they loved temples?).

Annotated drawing of 33 Dean Street showing coping, parapet, sash window and segmental arch features on the building.

Front of 33 Dean Street. | View explanation of terms in the glossary.

Parapets surrounding roofs are now common in Central London, and Georgian architecture often favoured the symmetry of paired chimneys on each end of the house. This allowed for fireplaces in almost every room and made for a toasty house in winter.

Annotated drawing of the gable end of 33 Dean Street showing gable end chimneys, coping and blind window features on the building.

Gable end of 33 Dean Street. | View explanation of terms in the glossary.

Next stop: 76 Dean Street

4: 33 and 33a Dean Street

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