129 High Street

Summary

129 High Street, Newport, is a late-C18 or early-C19 terraced house with ground-floor shop.

Reasons for Designation

129 High Street, Newport, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:  
 
Architectural interest:

* as an C18 building which contributes to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape. 
 
Historic interest: 
 
* as part of the urban development of Newport’s historic 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

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 According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377 Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle.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. 

The frontage of 129 High Street appears to date from the late C18 or early C19, possibly with later rendering. The Ordnance Survey map published in 1864 shows a rectangular building with a substantial addition to the rear. A further extension was added in the later C19. During the second half of the C19 the building was home at various times to draper’s and ironmonger’s shops. The shopfront has been replaced more than once. The building formerly had a cast-iron hood above the first-floor central window; this was lost at some time in 2019 or 2020, though the brackets remain.

Details

Late-C18 or early-C19 terraced house with ground-floor shop.

MATERIALS: the principal, south-facing elevation is rendered, and scored in imitation of ashlar. The western gable end is slate-hung, above the neighbouring building. There is a longitudinal pitched roof over the front section, with an M-shaped section at right angles to the north; the roofs are covered with slate.

PLAN: the front main section of the building appears to be rectangular on plan, oriented north/south, and extended to the north in more than one phase.

EXTERIOR: the principal elevation is three storeys high and three bays wide. The ground floor is occupied by a modern shopfront. Above, the first and second floors are separated by a platband. The windows openings, which have block cills, contain six-over-six sash frames to the first floor and three-over-three sash frames to the second floor. There is a moulded eaves cornice with a plain frieze and parapet.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

309564

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

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

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