Summary
Row of houses with shops built in the early to mid-C15, probably as a speculative commercial development. C17, C18, C19, and C20 alterations.
Reasons for Designation
5, 7, 9, and 11 College Street, Gloucester, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* built in the early to mid-C15, it is a rare surviving example of a speculative commercial building of the medieval period;
* for the legibility of its historic planform as six small shop units with a solar above and an open hall to the rear;
* for the survival of a significant proportion of C15 historic fabric including its smoke-blackened roof structure of clasped purlin and collar roof trusses with evidence for curved wind braces;
* for the survival of historic fabric of the C17, C18, and C19 providing evidence for the building’s historic development.
Historic interest:
* it provides important evidence that contributes to our understanding of medieval urban building types, and the living and working arrangements of the period.
History
5, 7, 9, and 11 College Street appears to have been built as a commercial development in the early to mid-C15. The building is included in the ‘Rental of all the Houses in Gloucester’ (1455) when College Street was known as Lich Lane. The entry describes the building as seven tenements owned by the Boteler (or Butler) family, possibly indicating that it originally extended further to the south. The historic building fabric suggests that the building was divided into single-bay, two-storey units, comprising a shop with a solar above, and an open hall to the rear; divided from the front range by a lateral wall. There is evidence for a hall window to the rear elevation of bay four, and this combined with evidence for smoke blackening to both the roof timbers and the remaining wattle and daub to the formerly closed trusses, supports this interpretation of the plan form. The smoke blackening is understood to be most prevalent to bay four and is absent from the end trusses.
In the C17, stone and brick chimney stacks and staircases were inserted into bays one, two and four, and attic floors were created. The roof dormers, which were originally hipped, are probably C18 additions.
The subdivision of the building was further altered in the C19 and the current house numbering, 5, 7, 9, and 11 relates to the configuration of two, one, one, and two-bay units. The shop fronts to 5 and 7 College Street were inserted in late C19 and the shop fronts to 9 and 11 are C20 insertions. The applied timber framing and rendering to the first floor was added in the late C19; the original framing is retained behind the façade. The ground floor also appears to have been largely rebuilt in brick around this time. The south gable-end wall was rebuilt at ground-floor level in the early C20, and at first-floor level in the late C20. The ground floor of the north gable wall has also been rebuilt.
The buildings were extended to the rear from the C19 onwards, with much being rebuilt in the C20, and gradually infilling the rear yards.
Details
Row of houses with shops built in the early to mid-C15, probably as a speculative commercial development. C17, C18, C19, and C20 alterations.
PLAN: historic single-pile range of six structural bays with cellars, divided by cross walls on the line of each truss and by a lateral wall along the axis to form single-bay shop units with a solar above, and an open hall to the rear. Chimney stacks and staircases inserted into bays one, two, and four, and an attic floor inserted. Since the C19 divided into four shop units of, from left to right, two, one, one, and two bays. Additional staircases inserted. C19 and C20 additions to the rear.
MATERIALS: of timber-framed construction. The ground floor has been rebuilt in brick, and applied timber-framing and render conceals the first floor. The roofs are covered in plain clay tiles. The stone and brick stacks to the rear have been reduced in height to below the ridge line.
EXTERIOR: of two storeys, with cellar and attic. The principal (east) elevation has a continuous first-floor jetty, underbuilt on the ground floor in brick. The shop fronts to numbers 5 and 7 were inserted in late C19; the shop fronts to 9 and 11 were inserted in the C20. A corniced timber fascia has been added above. The first floor is a C19 symmetrical re-facing in applied timbers of upright posts, intermediate rails, and curved tension braces, with render between; much of the original timber-framing is preserved behind. To each of the six bays is a pair of C19, four-light casement windows. To the attic are five, mid-C19 gabled roof dormers, each with a pair of two-light casement windows.
The north gable end has been rebuilt in brick to the ground floor. The first floor retains curved angle braces from the corner posts to the tie beam, and a central upright post; to the right of this post is a C20 window. The C18 attic window has been replaced in the C20. There are scalloped barge boards.
The rear elevation has been partly rebuilt in brick and is largely concealed by later additions. To the rear elevation of the fourth bay is a chamfered lintel and cill for a two-storey hall window, with mortices for two mullions.
INTERIOR: the ground floor has some evidence of bridging beams and posts for the lateral walls. First-floor timber-framing includes main and intermediate posts and curved braces. C17 chimney stacks to bays one, two, and four. The C17 staircases to these bays are retained from the first floor to the attic. The six roof trusses are of clasped purlin and collar construction with evidence for curved wind braces from alternate principal rafters to the purlins. One wind brace is retained in bay two and bay five. Many of the common rafters are retained. All but the end trusses retain their wattle and daub infill above the collar, and trusses two to six are smoke blackened, with the heaviest concentration to truss four.
