Summary
A late-C17 house with changes to the street frontage in the C18 and a C19 shop front.
Reasons for Designation
48 High Street South, Dunstable, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic and architectural interest:
* as a building with late-C17 origins;
* for its C18 and C19 street frontage.
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.
48 High Street South is likely to date originally from the late C17. The elevation to the street frontage was updated in the C18. In the C19 a shop front was added and in the latter half of the C20 a two-storey rear addition was added. The building was listed in 1976 with the following description: “C18 front of colour washed brick, old tiled roof behind parapet. 2 storeys, 4 sash windows, ground floor C19 shop bay window. Door on right in surround of Doric pilasters, entablature with modillion cornice.”
Planning records show that permission was sought for some internal alterations including the removal of an internal wall and chimney breast.
Details
A late-C17 house with changes to the street frontage in the C18 and a C19 shop front.
MATERIALS: constructed of brick, has a red plain tiled roof and red brick chimneys.
PLAN: rectilinear plan with extensions to rear.
EXTERIOR: the building has two storeys with a ground floor shop bay window. There are four sash windows at first floor level and a parapet. It features a large C19 ground floor shop bay window with a door on the right with a doorcase with Doric pilasters and entablature with modillion cornice.
