Summary
Two mid-C18 houses.
Reasons for Designation
10 and 11 High Street, Newport, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as mid-C18 houses with good architectural design, which contribute to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape.
Historic interest:
* as part of the historic urban development of Newport.
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, the 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 According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377 Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle.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.
10 and 11 High Street date from at least the mid-C18 and are first shown on the 1864, first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) maps although their narrow plot width and frontage to the High Street is medieval in origin. On this map, both houses are shown with a long, narrow space to the rear and number 11 has a long, rear extension. The modern OS map shows a similar footprint.
Details
Two mid-C18 houses. Formerly listed as numbers 10 to 13 (consecutive).
MATERIALS: brick built under clay and slate tile roofs. The brick is painted to number 10 and number 11 is rendered.
PLAN: broadly square footprint with entrances to the High Street.
EXTERIOR: the houses are of three storeys, but varying heights.
Number 10 is lower and stands to the left side. To the ground floor, it has a canted oriel window with a simply detailed surround formed of a plain entablature supported on timber corbels which sit above pilasters with a central recessed panel and a block cill. The canted faces of the oriel consist of six, fixed glazing panels with a two-light, top-opening casement above. The middle, larger face has nine, fixed glazing panels with a three-light, top-opening casement above. To the left side, there are stone steps which rise to a panelled door and doorcase, surmounted by a small, pedimented hood, supported on scrolls. The first floor has a single eight-over-eight sash window. The steeply pitched clay-tile roof has a multi-pane pitched roof dormer. The side elevation has hung tile and the profile of the M-type roof is visible.
To the left side, number 11 has a flat-topped, two-storey oriel window, supported on moulded brackets. The cills and tops of the window are finished with lead flashing; the first-floor cill and top has scalloped edges. To the right side, stone steps, flanked by a pair of metal handrails with curved ends, rise to a panelled door in a plain doorcase, under a reduced, pedimented hood. The second floor is full height and has a multi-pane casement window. The roof has a gable to the side with a multi-pane window to the apex.
Both 10 and 11 have rear extensions which are partially visible; that to number 10 is two storeys, that to 11 is three storeys. They are both faced with modern bricks and have pitched roofs. The roof to number 10 is slate and that to 11 is clay-tiled. The rear elevation of number 10 includes a centrally placed, modern window, while the rear elevation of 11, includes three modern windows on both the first and second floor. There is also a centrally-located chimney stack between the pitched roofs of number 11.
