145 High Street

Summary

Townhouse with shop. Early-C19. Rear range extended in the 1960s.

Reasons for Designation

145 High Street, Newport, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as an early-C19 building which contributes to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape.

Historic interest:

* as part of the urban development of Newport’s historic core.

Group value:

* the building is in close proximity to a large number of listed buildings and forms part of a strong historic grouping.

History

Newport’s first charter was granted by Richard de Redvers, fourth Earl of Devon in the late C12 and this is generally regarded as marking its foundation. The settlement was laid out on the low-lying ground along the western bank of the River Medina using a grid-style plan. Recent topographic analysis suggests that Newport may have developed around an existing informal trading settlement located at the head of Medina estuary, in the vicinity of Sea and Quay Street (Alexander, 2021). The High Street is one of five east-west running streets within the grid layout. High Street and Pyle Street extend the full length of the grid, divided by a market square, and form the planned core of Newport, with other shorter parallel streets to the south (South Street) and north (Lugley and Crocker Street). They were all largely in place by the mid-C13. 
  
In the C14, Isle of Wight was frequently subject to raids by French forces during long-running conflicts between England and France. According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377 Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle. It appears that Newport was functioning again a few years later. During this century, records indicate that the population of Newport did decrease, most likely due to several wider economic factors, and did not significantly increase until the mid-C17. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1608 under a new charter granted by James I. Newport did not significantly expand beyond its medieval limits until around the late C18. By the mid-C19 there had been a more significant expansion of the town, including the development of its suburbs, which continued into the C20. 

Probably built in the early-C19, the plan form of 145 High Street is first shown on the 1864, First Edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map (1:2500). This shows a rectangular building with its short side facing the High Street and extending northwards deep into a long, narrow plot. There was a small yard on the building’s western side as well as to the rear. OS maps from the late 1960s show that by then this rear yard has been infilled. In 2020, planning consent was granted to convert the upper floors into flats. Historic articles in the Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter show that 145 High Street was occupied variously by the Soldiers’ Institute and Coffee Tavern (1885), the Institute Coffee Tavern and Temperance Hotel (1887) and Rick’s Restaurant and Hotel (1911).

Details

Townhouse with shop. Early-C19. Rear range extended in the 1960s.

MATERIALS: rendered brick with slate-covered pitched roof to the front range and clay-tile covered roof to the rear range.

PLAN: the building is rectangular in plan with a front range onto the High Street and a long range to the rear. As with most other historic plots along the High Street, it retains its historic, burgage plot width.

EXTERIOR: the front (south) elevation is of three storeys, four bays wide and fronting directly onto the High Street. The elevation is rendered with the ground floor occupied by a mid-C20 shopfront with risers and fascia. There is a recessed shop entrance with a modern quarry-tiled floor and a canted eastern display window. Plain, panelled pilasters flank the shop unit and a recessed doorway on the western side of the shopfront which also has a modern quarry-tiled entrance and fascia panel. The fenestration of the two upper storeys is of four, recessed, six-over-six, timber sash windows with block sills, to each storey. Between the first and second floor there is a raised plat band running across the elevation. At roof level is a narrow timber soffit.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

309570

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Business Announcements in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (4 July 1885), 4
Newport in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (30 April 1887), 5
Meeting, Entertainments, &c in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (22 July 1922), 4

Other
Isle of Wight Council, Newport Conservation Area Appraisal (2007).
Magnus Alexander, Newport, Isle of Wight, High Street Heritage Action Zone: Topographic Analysis of the Late Medieval Town, Historic England Research Report 49/2021, (November 2021)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry