18 and 20 Cross Street

Summary

House or houses originally constructed in the C16 or early C17, refronted during the early C19. The building was converted to commercial use on the ground floor and subdivided into two properties by the late C19, with further alterations and extensions during the C20.

History

Although evidence of Roman and Saxon settlement within Oswestry is sparse, the existence of a large and remarkably well-preserved Iron Age hill fort to the north of the town centre points to a long history of settlement in the area. A motte and bailey castle was constructed shortly after the Norman conquest (1066), and the town appears to have developed in its present location from the C12 onwards, initially to the south of the castle mound. The town was defended by walls and a ditch, although its defensive roll ceased to be important by the late medieval period; the tight network of streets in the town centre represents the development of the land within the bailey to the south and west of the castle mound during the C14-C16. During this period the town flourished as a market for Welsh wool and cloth. The late-medieval and early modern town was largely timber-framed, although today fairly few examples survive from the C15 to C17, often hidden behind later brick facades.

The town developed a newfound importance during the later C18 as a coaching station on the London to Holyhead road. Many buildings in the town centre are of the late C18 and early C19, typically built in red brick and often stuccoed. A rapid expansion in housing followed the establishment of a Cambrian Railway works site to the east of the town centre in 1866. The town’s continued prominence as a regional centre by the late C19 is reflected in the grand, Free Renaissance-style Guildhall of 1893, among other contemporary municipal and commercial buildings. The C20 brought piecemeal rebuilding of the town centre and the growth of suburbs, particularly to the east of the railway. Oswestry’s train station closed to passengers in 1966.

The building at 18 and 20 Cross Street traces its origins to the C16 or early C17, with exposed timber framing to the party wall between the two properties. The building was refronted during the early C19 with a stuccoed brick façade and timber sash windows. By 1873, a range of outbuildings, possibly stabling facilities, had been built to the rear of number 20, accessed via the low archway at number 18 on the western side of the building’s frontage. The building may have been in commercial use on the ground floor by this time. The 1873 OS map also indicates that it had also been subdivided into two properties at this time. During the mid to late C20, the rear areas of numbers 18 and 20 were entirely infilled by single-storey extensions. Both properties were also equipped with new shopfronts during this period. In around 2006, number18 was refurbished, with the first floor being converted into a flat and two, gabled dormers were inserted over the Cross Street frontage.

Details

House or houses originally constructed in the C16 or early C17, refronted during the early C19. The building was converted to commercial use on the ground floor and subdivided into two properties by the late C19, with further alterations and extensions during the C20.

MATERIALS: a timber-framed structure is understood to be concealed by the later façade, which is of stuccoed brickwork. Numbers 18 and 20 have timber and glazed shopfronts and a shared roof covering of slate.

PLAN: the principal, north range occupies a rectangular plan with a longer, primary elevation to the north onto Cross Street. The building has been subdivided into two equally-sized properties: the western half is number 18 and the eastern half is number 20. There are later extensions of the C19 and C20 to the rear of the principal front range which infill the entire building plot.

EXTERIOR: the building is of two storeys across four bays onto Cross Street under a pitched roof which projects slightly over the principal, north elevation. At number 18, the entire ground floor is occupied by a timber-panelled shopfront with a large plate glass window over a stallriser. The main entrance is recessed and offset to the west, and contains a pair of timber-panelled doors matching the design of the shopfront. The entire shopfront is framed by a pair of timber-panelled pilasters. Above the shopfront is a large, plain, C21 fascia box. On the first floor, there is a pair of two-over-two glazed timber sash windows with horns, set within moulded timber surrounds. At number 20, the shopfront is very plain, consisting of a half-glazed door and a square shop window with a plain timber surround. At the western end of the elevation is a low, segmental arched carriageway with two plank doors, set lower than the pavement. The passageway has chamfered spine beams, and there is a stone corbel to the south-west corner. Over the archway is a two-over-two glazed, timber sash window with horns set within a plain, timber surround. There is another timber sash window over the shopfront, matching the design of those at number 18, and set higher than the window over the carriageway. Over the doorway at first-floor level is a Salop Fire Insurance Plate. There is a pair of lead-roofed, gable dormers with timber casements on the northern roof slope at number 18, directly above the two first-floor windows. These dormers are of the C21.

To the rear of the principal, north range are a series of C19 and C20 extensions.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

255538

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
OS map 25”, Shropshire XII.14 (1873 edn).
OS map 25”, Shropshire XII.14 (1924 edn).
Newman, J, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire (2006), pp.454 and 461.

End of official list entry

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