Summary
A house of 1685 with later, C18 or C19 additions and alterations.
Reasons for Designation
Bible House, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 Church Street (formerly No. 14), is listed for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: as a good example of a vernacular C17 townhouse with C18 and C19 extensions
* Group Value: it has group value with a number of other listed buildings in this part of Bromyard
History
Bromyard is a small market town that was first recorded in c.840. Bible House, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 Church Street, is situated on one of the principal thoroughfares in the town, adjoining the church with the market square. It continues south into Sherford Street, and together they were known as Verterus Vicus in the late C13 and recorded as Shurford Streate in 1575. This central area of the town to the south of the church and around the market place appears to have been fully built up by the early C17, though some of the plots have been re-developed since that time.
Bible House, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 Church Street is described in the statutory list as dating from the C17. It seems likely that the property was named after an open stream, the Bibble, which formerly ran to the north of the property. No shops are recorded in the market place in 1575 and it may be that Bible House was part of a shambles that developed on the eastern side of the market after that date. An indenture of 1682 conveys 'Burgage land called the Bible lying near the Market House in Bromyard ... together with the shop standing upon the premises in Bromyard'. This establishes a date by which the building was standing and appears to confirm the date carved on the exterior of the porch wing.
Details
A house of 1685 with later, C18 or C19 additions and alterations. The earlier portion is timber framed and the later addition has colourwashed rubble stone and brick walling, although it is likely that this covers further timber framing. The building has a tiled roof. There are two storeys with an attic and a basement.
EXTERIOR: The northern front faces the length of Church Street. It has a projecting, gabled porch wing near to its centre. This has small-framed walling and there are girding beams with an ogee profile between the ground and first and the first and attic floors, which give the wing a jettied profile. At first-floor level is a cross window with casements and to the attic gable is a three-light casement, but marks in the sill indicate that this may once have been wider. The initials 'I A' and the date '1685' are carved on a shared pendant which hangs from the gable apex. At ground-floor level the door is to left of centre and there is a canted bay window to its right with balusters providing an apron below it. Marks to the underside of the girding beam indicate that the door was originally central and there was no window. The right flank has close studding to the ground floor, with a blocked window opening. The first floor and attic have small framing. The portion of walling to the right of this porch has framed walling with a sash window and half-glazed door to the ground floor and casements to the upper floors. The attic roof appears to have been raised. To the left of the porch is a single bay with C18 or C19 brick walling set above, which is flush with the attic storey of the porch wing. This has a sash window at ground floor level with a cellar hatch below, set in rubble stone walling, and a cross window to the first floor. There is a plat band above this and a chimney stack to far left.
The east flank, faces onto Sherford Street. The majority of openings have cambered heads and appear C19 in date with a mixture of sash and casement windows. However, the walling appears to be of at least two builds with rubble walling to the basement at centre and right. The fall of the land reveals a full basement storey on this flank and this has double doors at right and a pedestrian door to the far left. At ground-floor level there are two canted oriel windows, with flat roofs, to the left and above them are sash windows with sixteen panes. To the right, above a plat band is a two-light casement.
INTERIOR: The interior was not inspected for the purposes of this assessment, but has been informed by the Insight Historic Buildings Research report (2009). This shows that the building is the result of several phases of development, including two in the C17, one in the C18 and one in the C19. The staircase has been moved from its original position and the roof has been raised to the west of the building. Subdivision of the property into four flats has masked certain features.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
Bible House, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 Church Street (formerly No. 14), has been amended for the following principal reasons:
* In view of the change to the postal address
* To enhance the list description
