Summary
A pair of early-C19 houses of three storeys, later combined by a Victorian facade and with an early-C20 shopfront to the ground floor.
Reasons for Designation
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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 According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377 Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle.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.
29A and 29 High Street was likely formed from joining two Georgian houses with a later, Victorian façade. Modern aerial images show a pair of elongated (north-south orientated) hipped roofs, suggesting historically there were two distinct properties.
The building is first shown on the 1864, first edition Ordnance Survey map. This shows the same footprint as today along the High Street although the building did not extend as far to the rear, which instead had a large garden. Advertisements from the end of the C19 suggest that the building was known as Tower House and had various occupiers including an S D Caws, Cowes and Newport 'ladies' tailor and hatter, costume and mantle maker', and Varty and Son Tea and Colonial Stores. The building was subsequently bought in 1910 by the Isle of Wight County Press, the first island newspaper (its first issue was 29 November 1884), and the large rear garden was developed as a printing works (Peter Ferns Architecture, 2017). It remained the headquarters of the newspaper until 1991.
Details
A pair of early-C19 houses of three storeys, later combined by a Victorian facade and with an early-C20 shopfront to the ground floor.
MATERIALS: the north (front) elevation, facing the High Street, is faced with Gault bricks with some decorative stucco elements and block plat bands to the upper floors. The ground floor has a glazed shopfront faced with dark red glazed bricks. The topmost parts of the side elevations poke above the party walls; the east elevation is concrete rendered and the west elevation is tile hung.
PLAN: the building is rectangular in plan with the shorter side fronting the High Street. As with most other historic plots along the High Street, the historic burgage plot form is retained. The building directly abuts the neighbouring properties to either side.
EXTERIOR: 29A and 29 High Street is four bays wide and of three storeys. The whole of the ground floor is occupied by an early-C20 shopfront. This is symmetrical, with a plate-glass window, recessed doorway and flanking, panelled pilaster either side of a central, panelled pilaster. The outer edges of the ground floor have brickwork and short sections of moulded cornice beyond the outer pilasters, possibly survivals from an earlier frontage. The pilasters and stall risers are faced with dark red glazed bricks, and the stall risers have recessed panels bearing the inscriptions 'ISLE OF WIGHT' to the eastern side and 'COUNTY PRESS' to the west. The recessed doors to both 29A and 29 each have a small fanlight with rounded top corners. The plate-glass windows each have a transom light with similar rounded top corners, each divided by a single, central mullion. Above window level is a wide fascia panel (with modern signage) that is canted out over the pavement, with decorative, semi-circular caps at each end.
The first floor has a pair of large, square, oriel windows with tripartite sash windows, panelled mouldings and aprons, and a dentil cornice. These windows also have moulded cills with a plat band behind spanning the width of the front elevation. The second floor has four recessed windows with two-over-two sash windows beneath flat arches of Gault brick, with block cills forming a second plat band. Above these windows is a deep, moulded cornice with a pediment over the two central bays, which project forward slightly. The roof is concealed by a brick parapet, with chimney stacks to the party walls. The whole composition of this elevation is flanked by pilasters formed from the brickwork projecting forward slightly; these bear drainpipes with funnels at the top.
