Details
BIDEFORD SS4526 BRIDGELAND STREET
842-1/5/47 (South side)
06/05/92 No.31 GV II* Centre part of a large house, originally including Nos 30 and
32 (qv); now divided into shops, offices and flat. 1692, front
remodelled early C19, minor C19 and C20 additions at rear.
Solid rendered walls (probably of brick underneath). Slate
roof. chimney on each side-wall: red brick to right, rendered
to left.
Double-fronted, double-depth plan: 2 rooms at front with
central entrance passage to staircase compartment in centre of
rear part.
3 storeys; 3-window range. Top storey is an early C19
heightening, concealing original garret (right-hand side of
rear wall has not been heightened). Front is entirely early
C19, with giant reeded pilaster-strip at left-hand end; a
matching pilaster-strip has probably been removed at the
right-hand end, since the eaves-cornice breaks forward at that
point.
Centre doorway with wooden doorcase; attached columns
supporting entablature with modillioned cornice. Round-arched
doorway with moulded archivolt springing from moulded imposts;
panelled reveals. 6-panelled door, the 4 upper panels raised
and fielded, the 2 lowest panels flush; rear plate of old
knocker, the striker itself missing. Flanking the doorway a
pair of projecting, mirrored shop fronts, probably late C19 or
early C20. Each has a canted display window with shop door
adjoining the house-door.
Left-hand shop has panelled and fluted pilaster-strips at
either side of shop-door and at left-hand end of display
window with cornice across whole front; original half-glazed
shop door; right-hand shop altered, but shop door still has 2
fluted pilaster-strips. Upper storeys have sash windows, the
older ones with recessed box-frames; all have small panes,
except for the lower sashes in the second storey. Outer
second-storey windows have been enlarged (probably in early
C19) and have 8-paned sashes. Other windows have 6-paned
sashes. Moulded eaves-cornice.
INTERIOR: has 3 ceilings with shaped panels formed by plaster
bolection-mouldings. Entrance-passage has ceiling with oblong
panels; moulded cornice. Several boarded-in doors with moulded
architraves. Main staircase (rising to third storey) is a
wooden dog-leg with heavily-moulded closed strings and square
newels, heavy turned balusters (boarded in; between ground and
second storeys) broad flat handrail sweeping up to the newels
at the landings; oblong bolection-moulded panels on underside
of the flights. At rear of second-storey landing an early C19
six-panelled door.
Shop to left of ground storey has in front room
raised-and-fielded, 1-fillet ovolo-moulded panelling (probably
early C18) with box-cornice. Later doorway cut through rear
wall. 6-panelled door (probably C18 or early C19) to
entrance-passage. Display window has early C19 reeded surround
with carved flower in top right-hand corner. 2 round-headed,
semi-circular niches flanking chimneybreast to left. Rear room
has moulded cornice.
Right-hand shop has in front room a foliated cornice; early
C19 6-panelled door to entrance-passage. Rear room not
inspected.
Second storey sub-divided by late C20 partitions, but original
arrangement easily distinguishable. Right-hand front room has
ceiling with shaped panels and coved foliated cornice;
foliated boss in centre panel. Mid or lae C19 chimneypiece
(now painted) to right; mantelshelf with carved brackets; Rear
room has remains of moulded cornice. Back stairs plain,
without balustrade. Left-hand front room has moulded cornice.
Rear room has ceiling with shaped panels and box-cornice; in
left side-wall a wooden chimneypiece (probably early C18) with
panelled pilasters and entablature; to left of chimneybreast
is an original cupboard with panelled bolection-moulded doors
having shaped H-hinges; inside, old wooden coat-pegs.
Third storey has 3 original 2-panelled, bolection-moulded
doors leading to left-hand front room and middle and
right-hand rear rooms. 2 early C18 doors with 6
raised-and-fielded panels; a third, plainer 6-panelled door to
rear closet, possibly remodelled.
Front right-hand room has, to left of chimneybreast, an early
C18 round-headed cupboard with moulded architrave; double
plank doors underneath with H-hinges.
This was part of a larger Bideford Bridge Trust property
originally comprising Nos 30-32. The first lease of 1692 was
to Thomas Power of Bideford, merchant; the site was then 92ft
wide with a little lane (now Queen Street) on the east. It
appears to have been a U-shaped house; the remains of the rear
wings now lie behind Nos 30 and 32 (qv).
(Bideford Bridge Trust leases).
Listing NGR: SS4546026796
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
375759
Legacy System:
LBS
End of official list entry
Print the official list entry