Summary
Mid-C18 house or houses, extended at the rear and altered to accommodate use as a public house.
Reasons for Designation
19 and 20 High Street, Newport, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as probable mid-C18 houses with good architectural design, combined into a single building and later converted to a public house, which continues to 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 According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377, Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle.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.
20 High Street is first shown on the 1864, first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map but may predate this. This map shows a substantial building situated at the north-western corner of a wide plot, unusual along the High Street where the long, narrow medieval burgage plots predominate. The map shows that the frontage extended along the High Street (with a gap for a gate) potentially suggesting a garden wall of some kind with the rest of the plot laid out as a garden. Articles from the 1890s in the Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter record that the building was home to Ash and Thomas Tea Merchants, although it was also advertised as a private residence.
A large, north-south orientated, red-brick, rear wing with pitched slate roof is located on the western side of the plot which is shown on the 1843-1893 edition of the OS.
In 1953 the building was described as being divided in two, with a five-window front elevation without glazing bars, and a five-window east elevation with glazing bars. At this time the front elevation was also described as having a recessed front door of six-fielded panels with semi-circular fanlight, and a doorcase of fluted Doric pilasters and a broken pediment with dentils and small modillions. The units along the front of the building were converted to shops at some time in the C20 before the building use was changed to a public house. At an unknown date, modifications occurred to the front entrance and its surround, including the replacement of the door. It also appears that one of the ground-floor windows in the east elevation was replaced by a raised door. By the 1980s, OS maps show the footprint of two rear extensions; one immediately adjacent to the southern elevation of the historic building and one located along the southern edge of the plot.
Details
Mid-C18 house or houses, extended at the rear and altered to accommodate use as a public house.
MATERIALS: brick construction with recessed timber sash windows, under a slate roof.
PLAN: east-west front range facing the High Street, with a north-south range connected at the south-east corner. Later extensions; one north-south runs the full length of the plot from the front range, and two further extensions (orientated east-west) form a small rear yard.
EXTERIOR: the front elevation is of five bays and is two-storey, plus a hidden attic level which stands behind a stone-coped, brick parapet. The walls have red-grey bricks laid predominantly in header bond, with red brick window dressings and quoins, with the central bay and two end piers, projecting slightly. To the centre, there is a recessed door with tiled step, set within a doorcase of Doric, fluted pilasters supporting a triangular pediment. On either side there are modern shop fronts divided into three panels. Each has a panelled stall riser beneath a transom window with multi-panes to the top section. Above the glazing, there is modern fascia panel.
A three-brick string course separates the ground from the first floor. To the centre of the first floor, there is a recessed, round-headed, one-over-one sash window. This has a block cill and a raised, rendered keystone as well as imposts. On either side there are a pair of recessed, one-over-one sashes with rubbed brick flat arches and block cills. The tall parapet is separated by a three-brick string course. The partially hidden roof is steeply pitched and covered in slate. It is gabled at its western end and hipped at its eastern end. Two partially visible, hipped dormers are located on the front roof slope facing the High Street.
The eastern (side) elevation of 20 High Street is two storeys tall with an attic. The elevation is of six bays, with the southernmost five bays projecting eastwards from the line of the sixth and the rear. The second and fourth bays are canted and extend the third bay further eastwards. The elevation is faced with red-grey and red bricks laid predominantly in Flemish bond (red brick stretchers and red-grey headers) although there are variations. The area between the ground- and first-floor level windows on the second, third and fourth bays are predominantly faced with red-grey bricks in header bond. Where there is a change in the building line and the elevation breaks forward (between the second and third bays, third and fourth bays and fifth and sixth bays), this is predominantly faced solely with red bricks. At ground floor level there is a modern red brick ramp and stairs with railings, which extend along the elevation, giving access to a doorway on a later extension adjoining the rear. The east elevation is buttressed by a small wall, topped with stone coping, which stands level with the top of the stallrisers on the north elevation. The first to fourth bays (from the south) have recessed, six-over-six sashes with rubbed brick flat arches and block cills at both ground- and first-floor level. The fifth bay has such a sash window at first-floor level but a panelled door with six-pane fanlight above, timber surround and rubbed brick flat arch at ground-floor level. Access to this door from the pavement is provided by a set of metal steps with decorative metal railings (consisting of plain risers topped with two horizontal members with circles between). The sixth bay has a recessed, one-over-one sash window with block cill and rubbed brick flat arch at first-floor level and a recessed, blocked up opening, also with block cill and rubbed brick flat arch, at first-floor level. A brick parapet extends above the level of the first-floor windows.
The hipped slate roof to the east elevation is set back from the level of the fifth (northernmost) bay. This rear extension extends eastward (adjoining the next plot) and includes an open arch that gives access to a rear yard. From this passageway, a small window with block cill is visible at attic level on the narrow southern elevation of the eastern wing.
As 20 High Street directly abuts 21 High Street, only the rendered first floor and gable end of the western elevation of 20 High Street is visible from the High Street.
The rear elevation of the historic building is obscured by attachment to later commercial buildings in the rear yard.
