7 & 7a Market Street

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in stepped terraced row, opposite former Commerce House.

History

Terraced house and shop with later C19 front to older building. No 7A behind is older with big external chimneybreast that could be C17 or early C18, but other detail later, mostly C19. The top floor with unusual C19 louvred shutters was a shoe-makers workshop. Shoe-making is known to have been carried out in this street since the C16. Occupied in 1926 by Evans & Son, boot and shoe makers.

Exterior

Terraced house and shop, painted stucco with slate close-eaved roof. Three storeys, two bays, offset to right, with long and short quoins to upper floors and raised band between first and second floors. Two horned 12-pane sashes to top floor with bracketed sills, first floor has big canted oriel to left with plate glass sashes, rounded angle shafts and dentil cornice. Plate glass sash with bracketed sill to right. Late C19 full-width shop front with fascia and moulded cornice, carried around base of oriel, and pilasters each side. Plate glass shop windows with plate glass panes canted in to glazed shop door with overlight. House door to right has two long thin panels, and overlight. Rear has painted rendered gable, C20 windows and red brick chimney. It overlooks narrow court in front of No 7A.
No 7A is of rubble stone, once colour-washed, with close-eaved roof, three storeys, three bays. Top floor has three long louvred windows with brick sills, first floor has three larger windows, with timber lintels, brick sills and 12-pane sashes, not aligned with louvred openings above, the left window in angle to main house rear wing. Ground floor has window with concrete lintel to extreme left, door to centre and two 12-pane sashes with timber lintels to right. Door is in C20 concrete frame. Left end wall has massive external chimneybreast with sloping offset to lower left.

Interior

Shop interior altered, iron columns within shopwindow. One room in rear wing, to left, plain staircase with square balusters and later C19 turned newels to rear right. One earlier C18 sash with thick glazing bars. First floor flat with Victorian fireplace on back wall of main room and end wall of small N room. Three collar trusses to roof, two pegged pine trusses to rear wing.
No 7A has altered ground floor with two covered beams and stone flags. Blocked door in N end room. Narrow rear stair. First floor has boarded room to N. Loft has former ventilated workshop with renewed collar truss roof and seven side windows with wooden louvres, the louvres raised by fins attached to a turning centre post. Broad N end window.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a good street front of later C19 character with unusual three storey workshop building behind.