15 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey shop set in terrace on N side of Church Street.

Pitched natural slate roof with rendered and coped chimney to either end. Advanced eaves course supports moulded metal rainwater goods with metal downpipe to right end of facade.

Front elevation is three windows wide at first floor. Walls are lined rendered and painted. Ground floor is filled by an attractive stucco shop front with a separate doorway at extreme left. This is now infilled by a dummy six panelled door (with one panel hinged to provide access to an internal water tap).

Three fluted semi-attached Grecian Doric columns frame shop front and doorway with a Greek Doric entablature over (the extreme left column is only half width). The entablature has a triglyph with similar mutule on the underside of the projecting corona. This corona continues over the width of the front elevation and has a Greek Key motif along its front edge. Over the left door, set in the frieze, is a raised plaque reading “ESTABLISHED/ 1864” under a decorative leaf festoon hood.

The shop fascia is flat and painted “FRIAR TUCK’S”. Below, modern aluminium framed windows flank a pair of modern recessed doors. Modern polished stone stall riser.

There are three 2/2 (vertically divided) sliding sashes at first floor. All are equally spaced with tapering lugged Grecian architraves (patera set onto their lugs). The central window is narrower than the others are and all have painted cills.

Left and right gables are abutted by adjacent properties.

Rear elevation is much extended and fills the whole rear plot.

Historical information

Shown on the 1834 Valuation town plan and described in the 1835 Valuation as measuring 30ft x 23ft6in x 19ft. Similar dimensions given in 1863 Valuation book, suggesting the same building. It is uncertain whether the 1864 datestone represents a complete rebuild, or the establishment of a particular business in (?refurbished) premises at that time. The Valuation Revision books from 1863 onwards shown no increase in its rateable valuation during this period, which rather suggests that the latter option was probably the case. First cited as a shop in the 1925 Valuation (with a corresponding valuation increase to £23).

The first HMBB survey slide shows the roof before the present one to have been asbestos cement slated and the first floor windows to have been post-WW2 top-hung casements over a fixed light. The original door to left of façade had raised and fielded panels.

Primary sources:
1. Valuation town plan, 1834 (PRONI, VAL/1D/3/2).
2. First Valuation book, 1835 (PRONI, VAL/1B/367, p.87).
3. Second Valuation book, 1863 (PRONI, VAL/2B/3/65B, p.24).
4. Valuation Revision book (PRONI, VAL/12B/22/24A, p.38).

Secondary sources:
1. HMBB survey card dated 12/12/1969.
2. HMBB slide, 1969.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

The shop front has inappropriate modern windows and doors. The modern extension is inappropriate and internal remodelling has removed any internal features.