Former cottage to the rear of 8 Castle Street

Summary

Former cottage, probably early C17.

Reasons for Designation

The former cottage at the rear of 8 Castle Street is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a C17 building, the fabric of which contributes to Reading’s rich and varied architectural character.

Historic interest:

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

Group value:

* the building is in close proximity to a number of listed buildings and contributes to the dense historic grain of this part of the town’s centre.

History

The building to the rear of 8 Castle Street is believed to have been constructed in the early C17 as a dwelling. Mapping indicates that by 1879 the building was associated with number 8 Castle Street, which stands immediately in front of it. 8 Castle Street dates to the C18 and is now listed at Grade II. When the building to the rear was listed in 1978, it was described as a store to the frontage building.

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. St Mary’s Church, which lies on the north-east corner of the crossroads, 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.

Castle Street forms part of the ancient route through the town between London and the West Country and historically contained many inns and guesthouses. As Reading expanded beyond its medieval limits during the C18 and C19, earlier buildings were gradually replaced with substantial townhouses and public buildings. Redevelopment was piecemeal and mostly confined to individual plots, leading to the street’s great architectural diversity.

This pattern was broken in the late 1960s and 1970s, with the construction of the expansive civic complex on the north side of Castle Street, and of the Inner Relief Road immediately to the west of the new complex. These major works required the demolition of most of the buildings on the north side of Castle Street and separated the more commercial, eastern end of the street nearer the town centre from the more residential, western end of the street as it becomes Castle Hill.

Details

Cottage, probably early C17, seemingly associated with 8 Castle Street by 1879.

MATERIALS: timber framed with plaster infill and a plain-tiled roof.

EXTERIOR: the building stands within a developed urban block, surrounded on all sides by the rear ranges and outbuildings of neighbouring properties. It is two storeys high with a pitched roof and is connected on its south side to the rear of 8 Castle Street.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

38819

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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