No 18
No.18
No 18 -
This is a 'listed' building and, according to the listed description it is two houses. Although now a single house, I understand there have been a few business uses during the 1900s. The right half was a butchers shop for many years, and I am told the left half was a chemist in the mid 1900s. Later part or all was used as a tea room.
The listed building description states there is evidence of cruck construction in the roof, which would suggest an early original construction date.
I am guessing that the original building was set parallel to the road, like almost all the other buildings in Castle street, with the left front-facing gable section a later addition.
The whole building would seem to have been through a number of 'amendments'. The uneven pitch to the front facing gable would suggest that elevation has had an addition on the left; currently two storey but may have initially been single storey with later addition above?
I have sketched how these later alterations may have led to the current shape - there could be other explanations, of course!
Possible earlier stages of progression
Old photos show the original doorway to the left (east) section was where the smaller window is now. And the bow window on the right was formally a shop window with central doorway.
The 1894-ish map shows there was an extra structure in what is now a courtyard, we can see now there is a step in the adjoining wall to No.20 which would indicate a single storey structure there previously.
Late 1800s map showing extra structure in courtyard
The 1947 photo shows the butcher's shop with delivery van parked in front - the van has the name G.E.White, but the shop front has a different name (possibly L.E.Fuller, or something similar). The 1916 and 1947 photos show different shop front layouts. The current bow window is obviously a much later amendment. The small window above this would seem to be the only window not to have been changed.
The early 1900s photo shows the original doorway to the left section, and the lower window on projecting gable appears to be much smaller in the early photo, presumably this may have been enlarged when that section was the chemist shop?
The 1916 photo also shows a chimney stack above the gable facing west (up Castle street), the chimney is not there now. This also shows the earlier shop window layout.
The more recent 2012 photo shows there was for a while, possibly while it was a tea room, a doorway in the side of the projecting gable section, this was a window in earlier photos and also has now reverted to a window.
Quite a 'busy' past to this property, and probably other stages of transition in the early days!
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