Details
WELLS
ST5446 ST THOMAS STREET
662-1/6/283 (North side)
02/09/93 No.61
and front boundary wall
GV II
House in row. Early C17, extended and refenestrated C19.
Rubble, whitewashed to rear and rendered (1993) to street
front, brick stacks, pantile roof.
PLAN: may have been originally a single ground-floor room,
later subdivided with cross-passage and single heated room
each side; off left-hand room a spiral staircase flanking
fireplace. The second fireplace and stack possibly added
later. Full-width lean-to to rear under swept-down roof.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, 3 windows; at first floor a near-central
wide 18-pane horizontal sliding sash flanked by 9-pane
casements, all in thin projecting surrounds. At ground floor
are late C19 or early C20 three-light casements with transom,
flanking a part-glazed panelled door on 5 stone steps. To the
left is extra walling, at the main fireplace bay. External
rendering, removed during restoration work (1993), revealed
rough squared quoins to each end of the front wall, and a
small rectangular light in flush stone surround with chamfer
to the first floor, left. Both gables have coped verges, with
a small brick stack to each.
The rear has C20 casements, and a doorway with raised raking
roof, and two late C20 rooflights. and there is a further
small square brick stack at the original eaves line to the
right.
INTERIOR: the ground floor has a stone paved cross passage,
leading to a C20 staircase set off to the right rear in the
outshut section. The ceiling has 4 transverse beams, painted,
and with run-out stops to chamfers; the outer beams are
against the fireplace wall, left, and the gable wall, right,
interrupted here by the projecting chimney breast. The other 2
beams are equally spaced; that to the right partly built-in to
a later partition to the cross passage, and that to the left
two-thirds of the way across the room, near the second
partition. The left-hand room has a wide fireplace with wood
bressumer on large dressed quoin stones, and set very tight to
the left-hand wall (adjacent to the street); to its right is a
small door to an under-stair cupboard, and far right is a
6-panel door giving to the staircase, which is a wood spiral
contained within an elliptical well in unrendered thin-bedded
rubble stone. Some of the early solid baulk treads are visible
under later treads and risers. The rear wall of this room has,
in the left-hand end, adjacent to the stair entry, a stone
doorway with a chamfered round arch brought to stops on the
jambs, and, blocked on the inner face but visible within the
outshut, a small rectangular window opening with deep
chamfered stone surround, and 2 square dowel holes to sill and
head for former stanchions. The floor of this room has been
screeded, but a small area of the original stone flags is
exposed near the stair entry. The smaller room to the right
has a projecting chimney breast containing a partly exposed
stone fire surround with very flat 4-centred chamfered lintel
on damaged jambs.
The first-floor room, left, has a square fireplace with single
stone lintel to a broad chamfer, stopped to the jambs, and set
very tight to the front (street) wall, which here has a former
opening blocked by late brickwork filling. This fireplace is
contained within a much wider relieving arch with rough deep
voussoirs, containing one large worked stone with incised
lines; the front wall also has relieving arches, rising just
above the floor level. The stair well has a small slit
opening, blocked externally. The roof, in 3 bays corresponding
with the ground-floor beams, has very heavy principals, with
deep cambered collars, 2 square purlins with slight
chamfering, and heavy ties, badly rotted at the bearings;
rafters are late C20.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: about 2m from the house is a low random
stone wall with ashlar coping, with opening opposite door,
adding to setting of house and the streetscape generally.
HISTORICAL NOTE: according to Scrase, Nos 61 and 63 have deeds
dating from 1321, and at some stage passed to the Vicars
Choral. Much of the historic fabric was concealed until
exposed during building work in 1993.
(Bristol Polytechnic Working Paper: Scrase AJ: Wells: A Study
of Town Origins and Early Development: Bristol: 1980-: 55).
Listing NGR: ST5551946177
