43 High Street

Summary

A late-C18 building of four storeys, with a later 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 According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377 Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle.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. 

43 High Street is first shown on the 1864, first edition Ordnance Survey map, which depicts a narrow rectangular building with its short side fronting the High Street with a small rear yard behind. This rear yard had been filled in by the time the 1890s maps were published. Historic newspaper articles indicate that the premises was home to J and W Gubbins 'Book and Stationery Warehouse' (later Gubbins Son and Gubbins' Library) from at least 1884 until 1903 when it became Bird's Library (until at least 1911).

Details

A late-C18 building of four storeys, with a later shopfront to the ground floor.

MATERIALS: the front (north) elevation and the top of the east elevation are faced with grey bricks laid in header bond, with red brick dressings and quoins, and the hipped roof is covered with slates.

PLAN: the building is rectangular in plan with the shorter side fronting the High Street. As with most other historic plots along the street, the historic burgage plot form is retained. 43 High Street abuts the neighbouring buildings to either side; the east side elevation rising slightly above the party wall.

EXTERIOR: the building is four storeys high, two bays wide, and fronts directly onto the pavement. The ground floor has a C20 shopfront. The first and second floors each have a central, shallow-bowed, oriel window with a tripartite sash window (five-over-five panes to the centre; two-over-two to each side). The upper-right pane of the first-floor window has been replaced by an extractor fan. The sashes have flush, reeded frames supporting a moulded entablature with a plain frieze and a projecting modillion and dentil cornice, carried on decorative corbels at either end. Two red brick string courses span the elevation at the cornice level of each oriel window. Between the first and second floor windows is a plain apron. The third floor has a pair of two-over-two sash windows in recessed and flush moulded architraves. The building has a hipped, slate roof and a timber eaves cornice.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

309536

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
J & W Gubbins in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (29 November 1884), 1
Business Advertisements in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (11 April 1903), 1
Freshwater in Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, (23 December 1911), 8

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

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