Reasons for Designation
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION
No. 49 North Street has been designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* The house dates from the late C17, although it is hidden behind a C19 shop front façade, and retains a significant proportion of its original fabric including the roof structure
* It retains good quality internal features such as moulded beams and fire surround.
* This is a remarkable survival of a late-C17 house in an area largely consisting of C19 and C20 buildings.
Details
BRISTOL
901-1/0/10187 NORTH STREET
10-JUL-08 NO 49
Shall be replaced by:-
NORTH STREET
NO 49 AND OUTBUILDING TO REAR
II
House, late C17 origin, the principal elevation extended forward in the early-mid
C19.
MATERIALS: It is constructed of coursed stone rubble, now lime rendered, with brick stacks and pantile roof.
PLAN: A two storey double range; the rear part is late C17 with gable end stacks
whilst the front part is of early- to mid-C19 date.
EXTERIOR: The main elevation fronting North Street is an early-mid C19 extension of the C17 house and is of three bays. To the right hand bay of the ground floor there is a double garage opening with a separate doorway giving access to the rear. The centre and left hand bays contain an early- to mid-C19 wooden shopfront.This is comprised of two plate windows with transom lights, divided by a mullion, with a doorway to the right hand side and a narrow fascia with cornice above, the whole framed by plain pilasters. To the first floor there are three window openings with C21 fenestration in stone surrounds. In 2009 the elevation was lime rendered. The east gable, abutting an alleyway that was built to connect with a Methodist Chapel erected in 1886, is constructed from stone rubble and was lime rendered in 2009.At the rear, the late-C17 house is of two storeys and attic with two gabled dormers.
INTERIOR: The interior was not inspected but a Bristol and Regional Archaeological Services Report (2008) states that the house retains moulded beams with end stops to both floors. To the east end of the first floor there is a fireplace with a chamfered Tudor-arched bressumer. An oak panelled overmantle has been applied above this and looks to be C19 in date. Above the overmantle is an armorial panel, probably made of plaster, with central escutcheon, with traces of a painted saltire cross, flanked by lions rampant. The roof has principal rafters formed of large rough scantling, with pegged yoke, single purlins and pegged common rafters. The ground floor has been subdivided since construction, probably when the building was in use as an inn in the C18. Partially blocked windows, surviving as internal features at first floor level, indicate that the original late-C17 principal elevation partly survives.
SUBSIDIARY BUILDING: Situated to the rear of the property is a detached outbuilding, constructed from coursed and random stone rubble. Although it is documented on a late-C18 estate plan of Bedminster, its exact date of construction is unclear, but it is believed to be contemporary with the house, possibly serving as a kitchen. Of a rectangular plan, the south and west elevations are rendered in concrete and clinker, while the north elevation and east gable wall are rendered with lime mortar. In the C19 the outbuilding was converted to residential use and a brick stack was inserted into the west gable wall. At the time of inspection (June 2010) the gabled roof had collapsed, but was previously covered with pantiles.
HISTORY: Bedminster, a southern suburb of the city of Bristol, was for many centuries a separate town and until 1831 lay in the county of Somerset. Its origins are Roman with activity at that time centred round the present East Street and West Street. By 1086, Bedminster was a large royal manor held directly by the king, having previously been part of the Anglo-Saxon royal demesne. However, during the medieval period, Bedminster started to become overshadowed by Bristol as it rose to the status of England's second largest town. One area where this growth impacted on Bedminster was the development of North Street as a major medieval route west out of the city. The manor of Bedminster was bought by Sir High Smith of Ashton Court in 1605 and the family remained lords of the manor until their feudal powers fell into abeyance in the C19. Up to the mid-C17, Bedminster was a prosperous community clustered round its parish church in a fertile and well-watered valley. However, in 1644, during the Civil War, Bedminster was sacked and almost completely burnt to the ground by Prince
Rupert before the second siege of Bristol. Taking over a century to recover, the
fortunes of the area started to show an upturn in the mid-C18 when coal mining
established itself as a major industry.
No.49 North Street was constructed in the late C17 as a dwelling house and by 1720 was documented as being the New Inn; by 1789 it was known as the Artichoke Inn. Although Bedminster is not covered by the detailed C17 maps of the city, the house and the outbuilding to the rear are evident on a late-C18 Smyth estate (local landowners) plan. The house was extended forwards and re-fronted in the early C19. By 1874 it was documented as being the Full Moon Public House but by 1883 it was in residential and commercial use after the public house had moved next door to No.51 North Street.
SOURCES: Bristol and Region Archaeological Services: Nick Corcos, Assessment of No. 49 North Street, Bedminster, Report No. 1925/2008 (2008)
Smyth Estate Plan of Bedminster, late C18
Smyth Estate Plan of Bedminster, 1827
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: No. 49 North Street, and the detached outbuilding, are
designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: although it is hidden behind a C19 shop front
façade, the house dates from late-C17.
* Intactness: it retains a significant proportion of its original fabric
including the roof structure along with good quality internal features such as
moulded beams and fire surround
* Rarity: it is a remarkable survival of a late-C17 house in an area
dominated by C19 and C20 buildings.
* Historical interest: the house and the outbuilding illustrate the
development of a late-C17 residential site as Bedminster evolved from a dormitory
town into an industrial suburb of Bristol.
