Location: calle San Antón, 2.

This house was ordered to be built by a married couple, Juan Carlos Andión Garrido and María Pérez González, who decided to have the house built some time before 1773 as it is in that year that the first references to its existence have been found. The architect is unknown, although the building shows great architectural skill, especially in the main façade.

The purpose of the house was to provide lodgings during the King's Visits. In 1777 it was rented to an important company, known as "the Milanese", hence its name.

The building boasts a rectangular floor plan, with four façades and four storeys, although one of these was built at the end of the 19th century. The doorway stands out because of the border of cut granite and pilasters that frame it, which supports the main floor balcony.

Due to the King's Visits becoming more infrequent and their subsequent disappearance, in 1848 half of the house was sold and at the end of the 19th century, it became a residential building.

Location: calle del Rey, 39.

The French Consul's House represents the first architectural work of Juan de Villanueva, who sketched the first designs in 1768 for the abbé Agustin Bellardi, French Consul. The house was used as the Consul's residence during the Royal Visits. He was a very influential politician, and came to be appointed General Agent for Trade and Navy by the French Prime Minister.

With this first work, the architect proposed a type of building in which formal Herraran elements stand out, and rejecting the fashions that marked the prevailing French architecture.

The house has a rectangular floor plan, with sides parallel to those of the Monastery, originally with only two floors and the attics.

In 1773, it was sold to the Marquis of Iranda, Simón de Aragorri y Olavide, who rented out the house. During those years, it was occupied by the French Ambassador.

At the end of the 19th century, it was turned into a seasonal residence; it was made taller and two balconies were added on its main façade, changing its original look fairly significantly.

Location: calle Gobernador, 3.

The Magistrate's House was built for Antonio Vicente Yánez, who in 1771 was appointed as Magistrate, or Alcalde Mayor of the town of El Escorial and the Royal Estate of San Lorenzo. He was in addition a member of His Majesty's Council, Magistrate for Crime of the Royal Chancery and Lawyer of the Royal Councils.

He was the first Magistrate to decide to live permanently in San Lorenzo, despite his obligation to live in El Escorial.

The building is from 1771 and the architect was Diego Ochoa, an assistant to Jaime Marquet in the Royal Coliseum. On 22 April 1773, Juan Esteban certified that the building work on the house had been finalized.

The floor shape is trapezoidal and externally the building is one of the most representative 18th century buildings in the town. Its most important facade looks on to calle Gobernador, where the entrance is found, with a moulded granite frame and lateral pilasters bearing two cantilevers which support a forged-iron balcony.

Location: calle Floridablanca, nos. 6, 10 and 12.

Founded in 1717 by Felipe V to lodge new troops in the city; it is comprised by three buildings that are integrated in the urban ensemble. They represent the first Bourbon construction in San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

The new dynasty's enlarged courtesan entourage and its different way of understanding the Monastery and its surroundings were the decisive bases for its construction. The Royal Barracks are in front of the Cavalry barracks using part of some of the stables' lands.

The building has a central pavilion and two others at the ends that were joined by intermediate rooms. All were of two levels and were divided by solid bossed pilasters. This characteristic shows a very possible French influence.

The building was the object of successive remodelling by Juan Esteban, Juan de Ocaña and Juan de Villanueva.

At the beginning of the 19th century with the French Invasion the Estate became a defensive enclave of great importance. After their defeat and leaving the area in 1813, the French troops caused the burning of the main barracks, of which only their façades were conserved.

The lack of funds prevented its reconstruction so it remained in ruins for many years. The building was divided in five parts that were sold to private individuals and were transformed into dwellings, although they kept their exterior dimensions.

In the 20th century its height was increased, losing its original combining unity and took on the commercial and catering uses that exist at present.

In the 1960's the demolition of two of the five houses that comprised it made it impossible to recognise the block as an urban ensemble.

Location: calle Juan de Leyva, 18 / Calle Patriarca, 4.

The ensemble known as Cocheras del Rey (King's Coach House) was originally formed by two different buildings. In one was the Coach House of the Marquis of Valdecarzana and in the other the Casa y Cuadras (House and Stables) of Juan Esteban, designed by this architect between 1767 and 1771.

The first of them and another building that stood beside it were designed to be used by the courtier hierarchy during the Royal Visits. In the mid 19th century, it was transformed into a small seasonal palace, conserving part of the walls and adding new rooms. Later it became an apartment house and then was joined to the House and Stables of Juan Esteban.

From 1987, Messrs. Pedro and José Luis Martín Gómez undertook the restoration of the whole, made up of the two buildings around a patio with a garden, and gave it restaurants and a bookshop. It can be considered as one of the ideal meeting points in the area.

The Exhibition Rooms contain diverse objects: carriages, paintings, engravings, clothing, and so on, all of this being related to the sole means of transportation in the era of Carlos III and up to the second half of the 19th century, which were saddle horses and draught horses.

Location: calle Juan de Leyva, 21.

The architect Juan de Villanueva was commissioned to build this house in 1773 by Alonso Muñiz y Manjón, Marqués de Campo Villar, Mayordomo de Semana of Carlos III. It was built to be rented out to the highest echelons of the hierarchy of the court during the Royal Visits.

Villanueva designed a house with a rectangular floor plan, with sides parallel to the Monastery and two storeys. In 1928, a new floor was added and a glassed gallery was a further addition on its east façade. In the mid 20th century, a section was added to the main building.

The professor, Fernando Chueca, in his description of the house, compared it to a small Roman palace. There is no doubt that, in this house, Juan de Villanueva reflected his memories of his stay in Rome. Proof of this is the main door, decorated with bossed stone of the rustic style of the Italian Renaissance.

Situación: calle San Antón, 4.

The original owner of the house was the doctor, Francisco Martínez de Sobral y Aguilera, Chief Physician to Carlos IV and previously the Doctor of the Monastery and the Royal Site of San Lorenzo.

The works began in around 1792 and it is not known with certainty who designed the building, although it is attributed to Juan de Villanueva. It can be considered to be one of the best buildings in the historic heart of San Lorenzo.

The building has an almost square floor plan with a central patio and is distributed on three levels. One was added in the 19th century, maintaining thereafter its format to the present day.

The main facade stands out for the Herraran mouldings and granite in the corners, as well as the entrance door, flanked by two granite pillars with rustication which serve to support the balustraded balcony.

Location: calle del Rey, 18.

It is the best-known private work carried out by Juan Esteban and the one showing the best architectural quality, proven by the regular proportions, decoration and clarity of the internal lay-out of the building. Esteban, busy with official assignments in different Royal Estates, designed and directed the works of some individually-owned houses in San Lorenzo.

In 1771 Felipe Díaz Bamonte, in charge of the furniture and keys of the Royal Palace, built this building to rent out to the Court during the Royal Visits.

The house is located next to a square which used to be called Plazuela de la Fuente del Caño Gordo, nowadays Plaza de San Lorenzo. Its façades make up a perfect parallelogram, with the main and secondary façades oriented towards the north and south respectively. A three-storey building, its walls are of masonry with lime, the corners and decoration are of granite stonework and the façades were divided uniformly with equal openings.

The building has undergone numerous transformations over the years. For example, the openings in the upper floor were torn down and converted into balconies. Inside the building, the lodgings are only differentiated by the number of rooms, which are laid out according to different needs.

In 1993 the façade was restored and the roof was repaired.

Location: calle del Rey, nos. 7 and 9.

The public market was built at the end of the 18th century. The government of San Lorenzo de El Escorial built its last great construction for the residents of the town that consisted of a "Large house for the storage of wines, grocery articles, fish, bacon, and other branches and rooms".

In 1797, the town centre of San Lorenzo was already full, which made it impossible to find a free centrally-located site to construct the building, so the space occupied at that time by the "Veeduría" (Inspector's Office) was chosen.

The project was given to Juan de Villanueva and construction took place between 1797 and 1806. The main façade is outstanding and made with granite ashlars, the entrance is through a large central arch and arcades make up the interior patio.

Due to the increase in the number of students at the elementary school for the royals retinue located in the Casa de los Soportales (House of the Porches) from 1794, the governor proposed transferring to this building, and in 1806 Juan de Villanueva was entrusted with adding another floor which could be accessed from calle Francisco Muñoz.

The building continued to be used for both education and commerce until 1873, when the poor condition the building was in made the town hall invite tenders for its restoration. This restoration work, which led to the interior patio being covered, led to the building becoming appreciated for its commodiousness.

During the Civil War, it was abandoned, the building becoming damaged and losing the glass on its upper floor.

In 1949, the Mayor of San Lorenzo de El Escorial requested that certain work be done to prevent the roof collapsing. This time, the glassed-in roof was restored by means of a skylight, the second floor was closed in by means of the current gallery and a "T"-shaped staircase was added between the first two floors. A little later, the new skylight fell after a great snowfall.

One of the most significant repairs was carried out in 1967, once again due to the risk of the roof collapsing. At that time, the street Calle del Repeso, located between the Market and the Cuartel de Invalidos, was covered over, meeting the need at that time for a shopping area.

Location: calle Alarcón, 10.

King Carlos III sponsored the construction of this building, the St. Charles Hospital. It was originally built for the labourers working on the new houses at the Royal Site, due to the continuous accidents and illnesses that were occurring with ever greater frequency.

It was designed by Juan Esteban in 1771 and was inaugurated in 1773, but with only one part of it in use. It is a rectangular building and its perimeter walls have remained to the current time.

From 1781, the architect Juan de Villanueva was placed in charge of the building work. In 1801, he designed an extension of the main room, the cost of which was defrayed by selling buildings belonging to the Hospital.

After the revolution of 1868, the ownership of the building passed to the town, continuing to be used for the health purposes which had led to its construction.

In 1943, its name was changed to the Hospital de la Alcaldesa (the Mayoress's Hospital), making reference to Carmen Polo, who had been appointed as Honorary Mayor.

In the second half of the 20th century, several important rebuilding projects were undertaken. In 2002, it returned to its original name, becoming the San Carlos Health and Specialties Centre, or Centro de Salud San Carlos.

Location: calle Duque de Medinacelli, 7.

The house was built for Luis Felipe Fernández de Córdova y Gonzaga, Marqués de Cogolludo and heir to the 12th Duke of Medinaceli, It was built to house his family, as he had apartments within the Monastery.

It was designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1785, who designed a house of palatial characteristics. The floor has a trapezoidal floor plan arranged in two peripheral corridors, leaving in its interior two airshafts separated by the three-flight staircase. The entrance, centred in the façade, was created with lateral pilasters with cantilevers, on which is supported a balcony with an cast-iron handrail.

In the 19th century, the Medinaceli family sold the property, which led to its being divided up into private dwellings.

In 1971 the building was restored and it was transformed into a 5-floor building containing several homes, but still conserving the former wall, the entrance and the original window openings.

Location: calle Duque de Alba, nos. 3 and 5.

The Duke of Arcos, Antonio Ponce de León Spínola, one of the gentlemen closest to Carlos III, ordered this building to be built. The design and direction of the building work was by the architect Manuel Machaca Vargas.

It was commissioned by the Duke of Arcos to lodge his family and servants during the Royal Visits. His daughter, the 13th Duchess of Alba, immortalized by Goya in his paintings, became the proprietor in 1784.

Its architectural design coincides with the style that Juan de Villanueva set down in the Royal Estate, of two floors and an attic, and it was one of the few 18th century buildings that did not have a third floor added.

With the discontinuance of the Royal Visits, the house became a permanent residence, being divided into three parts.

Location: calle Las Pozas, 3.

The design of the Barracks for Invalids and Volunteers on Horseback dates from 1774 and experts coincide in attributing it to Juan de Villanueva. Since its construction, the original architectural characteristics have remained mostly unchanged, with some slight alterations.

The building floor shape is rectangular, and originally was separate from the surrounding buildings, although today it adjoins the market. On the outside, it echoes the Monastery and the Houses of Trades, with very smooth walls of granite masonry, cornices of the same material and sloped slate roofs. Of note inside the building are the staircase and the predominance of vaulted spaces.

Shortly after building had finished, in addition to its use as a barracks, it functioned simultaneously as a prison. From 1887, its function was limited to that of prison. In 1972, the Town Council assigned the building to the Social Security Agency (Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social) and a centre for retired people ("Hogar del Pensionista") was set up. Subsequently the building was restored, treating its structure with great respect.

There is currently a project in existence to convert it into the headquarters of the Centre of Herreran Studies, for which the legacy of Mr. Luis Cervera Vera will be used.

Location: calle Reina Victoria, nos. 2-16.

Carlos III commissioned Juan de Villanueva to design this building for it to be used as a "block of shops" to be rented to traders during the Royal Visits.

The building has a rectangular floor plan, parallel to the Doctors' House, or Casa de los Doctores, and solves the problem of the different street level with respect to the neighbouring square, called at that time de la Verdura and currently Plaza de Jacinto Benavente.

The wall giving on to calle Reina Victoria has a front porch with twenty columns which lead on to a covered gallery. The doors are placed between the columns and alternate between vaulted and lintelled spaces which harmoniously follow each other.

At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, the whole began to lose its primitive original formal structure, as the number of dwellings increased, increasing the height of the structure and incorporating elements of the era such as windowed balconies.