Number 5 Mansfield Street (previously number 11) is on the west side of the street, at the southern end, and was built for Thomas Nicholls (ND). Nicholls was a carver who worked on Mansfield Street, and was also involved in the Portland Place speculation, where he took the leases of numbers 22 and 28.

In 1774 the lease was purchased by William Constable (1721-91), Adam's patron at Burton Constable in the East Riding of Yorkshire. However, it was Marmaduke Tunstall (1743-90), Constable's half-brother, who resided at the house in Mansfield Street. Although Tunstall was the younger son of Cuthbert Constable, he inherited four estates in Yorkshire from his uncle, and it is not known why he lived in his brother's town house on Mansfield Street until 1784.

As Roman Catholics, Constable and Tunstall were barred from pursuing professionals, and both brothers directed their energies towards their scientific interests. Tunstall had a particular interest in natural history and ornithology, and amassed a large collection of birds - both living and dead - within the house. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1771, and published Ornithologia Britannica in the same year.

Number 5 is one of the surviving houses and both of Adam's drawing room ceilings survive, albeit with various medallions replaced with ceiling roses incorporating electrical light fittings. The house is now used as offices.

See also: Burton Constable, East Riding of Yorkshire

Literature:
See Mansfield Street scheme notes.

Frances Sands, 2013

Sub-scheme

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

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