14 Church Street

Cadw's description

Location

Fronting the street in a block of buildings between Little Lane and Rating Row.

History

Built by the Baron Hill estate in the mid C19 (1853 according to the title deeds) with Nos 12 and 16 Church Street. The building is shown, with rear wing, on the 1861 town plan. It was the premises of the National and Provincial Bank from at least 1886. After the Baron Hill estate sold the building c1900 it became a temperance hall and tea rooms, known as Old Bank Hotel in 1910, and was still listed as such in 1917. It is now a house.

Exterior

A late-Georgian style 3-storey 3-bay near symmetrical house of scribed render front, slate roof in a range with Nos 12 and 16 Church Street, and with brick stack to the R, the upper part of which is rebuilt, and shared replacement brick stack to the L. The entrance is offset to the R of centre and has a recessed fielded-panel door and overlight. Windows are hornless sashes, with slate sills, and in the lower and middle storeys with moulded architraves. In the lower storey is a 12-pane window to the R and larger 16-pane window to the L. The middle storey has 12-pane windows in the outer bays and central canted 2-light oriel window. The upper storey has 9-pane windows and blind central window.

The rear has a 2-storey wing on the R side, of brick painted cream and a slate roof. It has small-pane windows on the R side but a replacement door and window on the L. In the main range, which is rubble-stone with brick dressings, is a 12-pane hornless sash window in the lower storey, a 9-pane hornless sash window in the middle storey and 2 similar upper-storey windows.

Interior

The interior has a double-depth plan, and a central stair hall with, at its rear, a full-height open-well stair with plain balusters and turned newel. The interior retains 7 polished slate fireplaces in minimal classical style, the largest of which are in the L room in the lower storey and 1st-floor drawing room.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a C19 house of definite quality and character, and for its contribution to the historical integrity of Church Street.