8 Middle Street

Cadw's description

Location

Rounding the corner of Middle Street and Upper Church Street.

History

May have C17 origin. Formerly a row of four cottages. Parts raised and extended. Converted to single property and a second-hand bookshop mid to late C20. Middle Street was in early C18 called Hocker-hill Lane.

Exterior

Former cottages now a shop, attached at each side to houses in different streets. Of stone rendered with stucco; part steep-pitched roof of artificial slate and tall brick stacks. Two storeys. Six windows in all: Middle Street frontage has tall corniced lateral red brick stack; a 3-window range of 12-pane sashes, stepped back to right; exposed stone round doorway flanked by C20 windows, large shop window blocked with advert. Upper Church Street frontage with a separate roof has a 3-window range of 3/6 pane sashes to first floor; ground floor has deep corner casement, 3 moulded doorcases with small hoods, one filled with books, one marked 17 and two windows, part blocked, with fixed glazing; doors with moulded cases and shallow bracketed hoods.

Interior

Interior retains some of the cottage partitions.

Reason for designation

Listed as an early row of cottages later converted to a shop in a dominant position. Group value with other listed buildings in Upper Church Street, especially numbers 15 and 16; also the lower part of Middle Street and Hocker Hill Street, and the upper part of Bridge Street.