9 Gun Street

Summary

A late-C18 house, converted to commercial use at ground-floor level by the 1830s and extended to the rear by 1879.

Reasons for Designation

9 Gun Street, a late-C18 house, converted to commercial use at ground-floor level by the 1830s and extended to the rear by 1879, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

*     as a late-C18 building which contributes to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape.

Historic interest:

*     as part of the urban development of Reading’s ancient core.

Group value:

*     the building is in close proximity to a large number of listed buildings and forms part of a strong historic grouping.

History

The crossroads formed by the north-south route of St Mary’s Butts/Bridge Street and the east-west route of Gun Street/Castle Street is believed to be the centre of the original Saxon settlement at Reading, established sometime before the ninth century, with the lowest crossing point of the River Kennet lying a short distance away to the south.

Reading was well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest, and the Domesday Book (1086) records six mills and a large estate in the town. St Mary’s Church, which lies on the north-east corner of the crossroads and was mostly rebuilt in 1551-1555, was the town’s primary church until the establishment of Reading Abbey in the C12 and became so again following the dissolution in the late 1530s.

Running east from the crossroads, Gun Street forms part of the ancient route through the town between London and the West Country. The name derives from the gunsmiths who are known to have been operating in Reading from at least the early C17. Mapping from 1611 depicts both sides of the road as densely developed. In around 1816 the buildings on the north side were demolished and the churchyard of St Mary’s was enclosed with a boundary wall. Most earlier buildings were gradually replaced during the C18 and C19 with townhouses constructed of silver-grey and red brick, following the local vernacular. Many of the buildings were originally constructed as houses but were converted to commercial use at ground-floor level during the C19 and C20.

9 Gun Street dates from the late C18 and was probably constructed on the site of an earlier building. It was most likely built as a private residence, but by 1831 it appears to have been partially converted to commercial use and was serving as the premises of a gun and fishing tackle manufacturer. By 1879, it had been extended to the rear and aerial photography from 1928 shows this to have been two-storey and brick-built with rooflights, indicating it was in use for light industry.

The property was converted into a bar in the 1990s when the ground floor was opened up including the rear extension, which in around 2010 was fitted with a timber veranda to the south and west elevations.

Details

A late-C18 house, converted to commercial use at ground-floor level by the 1830s and extended to the rear by 1879.

MATERIALS: brick elevations above a timber shopfront, all under a slate roof.

PLAN: L-shaped with shop to front and later rear range extending along the eastern side.

EXTERIOR: the front range is three storeys above a basement. The ground-floor shopfront is symmetrical, having a central, recessed doorway with modern, glazed doors flanked by large shop windows with a low, moulded stallriser. At either end, there are Ionic pilasters, surmounted by Ionic caps, brackets and a cornice. The fascia board is C20.

The first and second floors are brick built with silver-grey headers and red brick dressings. Each floor has a row of four timber sash windows with two-over-two glazing and red brick surrounds, which are recessed into the façade. Those on the first floor have segmental-arched heads in gauged red brickwork while those on the second floor have flat heads which are concealed by a timber fascia board. Between the first and second floors, there is a three-brick string course.

The rear elevation has two windows on the first and second floors, with a brick string course between. The later rear range is two-storey and is constructed of red brick under a pitched roof. Attached to the south and west elevations of this later extension is a modern, timber veranda.

INTERIOR: thought to have a timber-framed dividing wall to the first floor.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

38966

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newspaper article in Reading Mercury, (18 April 1831), 3

Websites
Reading Borough Council, History of Reading (2012), accessed 3 September 2023 from https://web.archive.org/web/20120425235452/http:/www.reading.gov.uk/
Victoria County History, Ditchfield, PH, Page, W, A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3 (1923), accessed 5 September 2023 from https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3
St Mary’s Butts and Castle Street Audio Trail, accessed 21 November 2023 from https://www.reading.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/heritage-and-conservation/readings-high-street-heritage-action-zone/community-engagement/reading-audio-trails/st-marys-butts-and-castle-street/

Other
John Speed’s Map of Redding (1611)

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