19 King Street

Cadw's description

Location

Situated roughly midway along street.

History

Commercial premises, possibly of C18 origins, but with mid/late C19 character. In 1884 occupied by Bradbury & Co sewing machine repairs. In 1914 and 1926 part of the premises of David Williams, book-seller, with No 20. The bookshop was in this building, there was an antiques shop in No 20: the shop fronts were designed to match, with carved head decoration. Old photographs show 2 dormers in roof. Premises occupied in 2002 by Peter Francis fine art auctioneers.

Exterior

Commercial premises of 4 bays and 2 storeys, painted stucco with slate close-eaved roof and no chimneys (old photographs show bracketed eaves and 2 dormers). Four first floor closely-spaced hornless sash windows with horizontal glazing bars and moulded stucco surrounds. Sill band below. Ground floor has altered late C19 shop front with large plate glass single-pane window each side of recessed centre door. Similar plate-glass canted in to doorway with 2-panel door and overlight. Thin turned wooden columns or half-columns at corners of windows, and moulded sill. Panelled pilasters to left and right of shop front with ornate brackets carved with face of Shakespeare to right and Chaucer to left, with cornice above.

Interior

Extensive C18 surviving features on upper floors. Staircase to attic with turned balusters and closed pulvinated string. Panelling with large fielded panels in 2 front rooms, panelled partition between rooms and moulded cornices. E room has fielded panelling on back wall, sunk panelling on partition wall, moulded cornices to 2-panel ceiling with encased centre beam. Fielded panelled shutters to both front rooms. Rear room also panelled.

Reason for designation

Included as an C18 building retaining fine original interiors, and with good later C19 shopfront.