Swayne Johnson & Wight, Solicitors Offices

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently-sited at the corner with Vale Street.

History

Late C17 town house with second-half C18 alterations, especially to the facade. In the 1860s the Denbigh solicitor Thomas Gold Edwards had his offices here.

Exterior

Elegant two-and-a-half storey, 3-bay townhouse. Of red brick construction with sandstone quoins on a tall rubble plinth; slated roof with kneelered and slab-coped gable parapets and oversailing eaves with modillion cornice. Reduced end chimneys with rebuilt upper sections and off-set dentil-course. The facade is symmetrical and has a central entrance to a raised ground floor via 4 stone steps. This has a Georgian pilastered doorcase with an open pediment; recessed multi-pane glazed door with panelled reveals and segmental Gothick fanlight with intersecting glazing bars. Flanking this are 2 Venetian windows with central 12-pane, unhorned sash sections, arched intersecting heads and narrow 4-bay flanking sections. Above the entrance is an elegant 15-pane unhorned sash with flanking tripartite windows having similar central and narrow 5-pane outer sections. The Attic floor has 2 hipped dormers with plain 4-pane casements. The L gable end is rendered with its upper section tile-hung.

Interior

Very fine late C17 full-height oak well stair, with spiral balusters, moulded string and square, flat-capped newels. Ground floor L room has contemporary large-field panelling with moulded cornice and ribbed plasterwork decoration to the ceiling, including a foliated circular centrepiece; 2-panel fielded doors and stopped-chamfered beams (ogee stops). Some timber-framed partitioning is visible on the upper floor.

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II* as a particularly fine late C17 and C18 town house retaining good original external and internal character.