Shaftesbury House, forecourt wall and rails and house to left

Cadw's description

Location

On the N side of Main Street some 110m W of its junction with East Back.

History

Two houses now joined as solicitors offices of Lowless & Lowless, solicitors at Shaftesbury House (No 60) since early C20.
No 58 is low two-storey house with later C19 stucco front, but possibly of earlier origins. In mid C19 a beer-house called The Lamb, kept by 'Biddy' Scourfield. Later rebuilt with ground floor shop, latterly kept by Miss Townley.
No 60, Shaftesbury House, is a tall four-storey house possibly c. 1880, and for many years had family accommodation above the solicitors' office. Both sites may have been part of the Orielton estate sale of 1857.

Exterior

Two houses, now offices. Painted stucco with slate roofs. No 58, two-storeys and Shaftesbury House, No 60 of four storeys.
No 58 has close eaves, no chimneys and two-storey, three-window front. Channelled stucco up to first floor sill course, upper windows in shouldered raised surrounds. Four-pane large horned sashes to first floor and ground floor right. Centre recessed 6-panel door with overlight. Six-pane shop window to left in surround with plain pilasters, frieze and cornice. Fixed 6-pane glazing. Wrought iron low railings on stone plinth to right of entry, with matching gate at W end, probably to basement steps now infilled.
No 60 is exceptionally tall, basement and four storeys, three narrow bays with moulded timber cornice and rendered right end stack. Plate glass sashes to upper floors, top-floor cambered-headed short sashes, long square-headed sashes to second and first floors, painted sills. Ground floor has two square-headed sashes with marginal glazing-bars and tall narrow door to extreme right, against side wall of No 62. Three-panel door (two panels arched) with overlight and flat slate hood on stone moulded brackets. Stone steps up with small painted stone panelled gatepier each side, the left pier at right end of front painted ashlar wall with moulded rail, the wall of tooled stone pierced by big 6-pointed stars with small triangular piercings between, under rail and over plinth. Matching left end pier, short return to house. Wall is set on rusticated plinth of tooled grey limestone with two basement vents.

Interior

No 60 has mid to later C19 interior features. Entrance hall to right with door into front room. Front and rear rooms with egg-and-dart moulding to cornice and ceiling border with wheat-ear motif. Broad elliptical arch between rooms with moulded panels to side pilasters. Staircase to rear right, ascending in six flights with continuous hand rail, scrolled at foot around cast-iron post, scrolled tread ends and square balusters. Elliptical-arched hall-arch in former entrance hall, on two big console brackets.

Reason for designation

Included for its definite quality and character as a distinctive later C19 commercial building, among the tallest in the town, with adjoining 2-storey house of group value.