Summary
A timber-framed building dating from the C17 or earlier, with an C18 brick frontage and early-C19 pair of shopfronts.
Reasons for Designation
26 Church Street, Dunstable, dating from the C17 or earlier, with an C18 brick frontage and early-C19 pair of shopfronts is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic and architectural interest:
* for its substantially complete timber frame, dating from the C17 or earlier;
* for its C18 brick frontage;
* for its well-preserved early-C19 pair of shopfronts.
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.
26 Church Street was built in the C17 or earlier. In the C18 it was refronted in brick and in the early C19 a pair of shop fronts were added. In 1976 the building was listed with the following description: "Late C18 or early C19 front to early timber framed building. Stucco plinth, plum coloured bricks dressed with red, old tiled roof with wooden dentil cornice. 2 storeys, first floor band. First floor 3 nearly flush sash windows with glazing bars. Ground floor pair of early C19 shop windows with panelled Doric pilasters, entablatures. Central stone steps up to 6 panel door, 4 panels fielded, 2 flush, oblong fanlight with glazing bars, reveal, surround of reeded pilasters, paterae, reeded frieze, cornice. West side elevation to passage cement rendered with first floor oversailing, later back wing largely brick with some timber framework. Back elevation of main block has timber frame, colour washed brick nogging."
Details
A timber-framed building dating from the C17 or earlier, with an C18 brick frontage and early-C19 pair of shopfronts.
MATERIALS: timber-framed, with a brick frontage and plain clay tiled roof.
PLAN: rectilinear with extensions to the rear.
EXTERIOR: the exterior has a blue-red brick frontage with red brick dressings to the quoins and upper windows. There is a pedimented Roman Doric doorway with three steps leading up to a six-panel door, four panels fielded, two flush, with oblong fanlights with glazing bars and the reveal has a surround of reeded pilasters, paterae, reeded frieze and cornice. There are early-C19 three-light shopfronts either side of the door, each with panelled Doric pilasters and entablatures, and slender glazing bars. There are three architrave windows to the first floor and a wooden dentil cornice.
The right side (south elevation) is jettied and rendered with one small square window.
The later, back wing is largely of brick with some timber framework and the back elevation of the main block is of a timber frame with some colour-washed brick nogging.
