Alton Murphy Opticians Premises

Cadw's description

Location

On the corner of Crown Square with Crown Lane.

History

Second-quarter C19 house and shop re-fronted in the late C19 when it acquired its present brick facade.

Exterior

Three-storey building of limestone rubble construction with yellow brick gabled facade and sandstone quoins; slate roof with simple bargeboards to front and NW gables. The facade retains part of its late C19 shopfront, with pedimented entrance to the R and the pediment of a former, similar entrance surviving to the L; C20 part-glazed door to the former, with rectangular overlight. Panelled pilasters with plain angled capitals support a continuous moulded cornice with the fascia recessed below. Later part-glazed entrance recessed between plain-glazed shop windows with panelled dado section. The first and second floors are symmetrical, with a 2-storey canted wooden bay window to the centre and narrow flanking sashes to the outer bays of each floor; plain sashes throughout, the latter with cambered heads.

The L return, facing NW, is partly gabled. This has plain late C19 sashes to the ground floor with 2 entrances to the left-hand section, both with segmental heads, that to the far L a large access arch. Earlier C19 sashes to the upper floors of the right-hand section, 12-pane and 6-pane respectively, the former unhorned. Beyond this are windows on 3 floors with plain sashes and brown brick surrounds; that to the ground floor is blocked.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a first-half C19 building with later C19 facade retaining good original external character, including late C19 shop front, in a central location within the town.

Group value with other listed items in Crown Square and Back Row.