1 Fore Street

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

HERTFORD

TL3212NE FORE STREET 817-1/17/59 (North side) No.1

GV II

Publishing house and printing works, now offices. Early/mid C19, with C20 alterations. Stuccoed and colourwashed brick front, brown stock brick,laid to Flemish bond, to flanks and rear, below Welsh slated mansard roof. Parapet front (balustrade removed mid C20), parapeted ends and tall light brown brick stack with 4 clustered shafts right of centre. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and attics above basement, 5 bay facade. First floor has 4 long sash windows with divided glazing, central French windows with divided glazing and 2-light fanlight in moulded architrave surround, (full width first floor balcony removed mid C20). Projecting bands at first floor and second floor sill levels, rusticated quoins left and right and flanking centre bay which breaks slightly forward. Second floor with 4 sashes, and central French windows with moulded architrave surround, balcony carried on modelled brackets and modillions (low balustrade removed mid C20 and moulded cornice cut back to band above second-floor windows). Ground floor rusticated, with 5 semicircular headed openings with moulded impost band; panelled double leaf C20 doors with semicircular fanlights left and right, 3 centre recessed closed plate-glazed windows, with semicircular upper lights, having segmentally arched spandrel panels below and recessed grille vents to basement. To roof 5 box dormers with 9-pane sashes above parapet front. INTERIOR: not inspected. HISTORICAL NOTE: from 1854 this building was the headquarters of Stephen Austin, a printer and publisher who had begun operations in Hertford in 1768, and in conjunction with work for the East India College at Haileybury gained a reputation for foreign language printing. In 1772 the firm commenced publication of 'The Hertfordshire Mercury', and sold the interest in the late 1980s: a bronze statue of Mercury stands on the second floor balcony. The main printing operation moved to Ware in 1954. (Green L: Hertford's Past in pictures: Ware: 1993-: 100-101; Page FM: History of Hertford: Hertford: 1993-: 128,146,178,180-1).

Listing NGR: TL3271612554

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/0871 IOE Records taken by A Gude; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr A. Gude. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project