26 High Street South

Summary

A C17 or earlier timber-framed building, refronted in the C19, and with a C20 shop front.

Reasons for Designation

26 High Street South, a C17 or earlier timber-framed building, refronted in the C19, and with a C20 shop front is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural and historic interest:

* for its C17 origins;
* for its substantial surviving timber frame.

History

Dunstable town was historically focused upon the intersection of two ancient routes, the Neolithic Icknield Way, running from east to west, and the Roman Watling Street, running from north to south. The crossroad remains a dominant feature in topography of the town. Dunstable has Roman origins, known as Durocobrivis, centred on the crossroads, which appears to have been abandoned at the end of the Roman period. The town was later re-established in the early C12 by Henry I, centred on the royal lodge of Kingsbury and the Augustinian Priory founded in 1131, dissolved in 1540. A market was established in the wide streets and marketplace, where permanent buildings began to encroach to form Middle Row, possibly from the early C13 onwards. The town continued to prosper as a market town in the post-Medieval period, and also as a significant staging post for coaches travelling along Watling Street. The C19 saw the arrival of the railway, new municipal buildings, and the development of the backland with new terraced housing and small industrial premises, notably hat-making. The C20 saw the growth of the town as an engineering centre. Residential expansion continued apace, with associated provision for schools, churches, and other public buildings.

26 High Street South was built in the C17 or earlier. In the C19 the front was rendered, and in the late C20 a shop front was added. The building was listed in 1976 with the following description: “C17 or earlier, C19 front of stuccs with gable. 2 storeys and attic. Modern shop front. Closed first floor window in architrave surround, louvred attic windows. Nos 24 to 30 (even) form a group.” The louvre window mentioned has been replaced with a six-light casement window.

Details

A C17 or earlier timber-framed building, refronted in the C19, and with a C20 shop front.

MATERIALS: the building is timber framed and rendered with a plain clay tile roof.

PLAN: it has a rectilinear plan-form, with the front roof ridge running perpendicular to the street and the rear roof ridge parallel to the street.

EXTERIOR: : a terraced building of two storeys and an attic. The gable end forms the principal elevation, and is rendered. The ground floor is formed of a late-C20 shop front. The upper floors have C20 sash windows to the first floor and attic. There are cast-iron hopper heads and pattress plates at attic level.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

35756

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Websites
Dunstable Conservation Area Appraisal 2010, accessed 21 November 2022 from https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/migrated_images/dunstable-conservation-2010_tcm3-12953.pdf
Dunstable Parish History Website, accessed 21 November 2022 from http://www.dunstableparish.org.uk/heritage/history/
Bristish History Online, accessed 21 November 2022 from https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/beds/vol3/pp349-368

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry