7 & 9 Gerrard Street

Summary

A house, formerly two cottages, constructed in the C17, refronted in brick and altered in the late C19, and in the C20.

Reasons for Designation

7 – 9 Gerrard Street, Warwick, formerly a pair of C17 timber-framed cottages, refronted in the C19 and converted to a single house in the C20, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* For the degree of survival of its C17 timber frame and roof structure, and evidence of its evolution in the C19 refronting and addition of the rear outshut;

Historic interest:
* As a structure of some quality in its craftsmanship, demonstrating C17 techniques and construction;

Group value:
* With several other listed buildings alongside and opposite in Gerrard Street, including in particular 4 and 6 Gerrard Street, the pair of timber-framed cottages opposite.

History

The building represents the surviving part of a longer timber-framed range, probably constructed in the first half of the C17. The house is built over cellars with vaulted roofs which may pre-date the existing building. Map evidence shows that the row was part of a range of four cottages, with a central passage to the rear above which the cottage to the north-west extended; the existing north-western gable end of the house was formerly the internal partition between this and the neighbouring cottage. In the late C19, numbers 7-9 Gerrard Street were refronted in brick, and the front roof slope was raised in order to create more head-height in the front of the upper floor. The adjoining pair of cottages to the western side of the passage was demolished in about 1970. There was possibly some internal repair and timber replacement (with re-used timbers) in the interior of the former number 7 at the same time. The gable end wall which had been exposed to the weather must have deteriorated, as some of the timbers have been covered by applied oak floorboards nailed over their surfaces. Some of the infill panels have also been replaced in modern brick.

Numbers 7-9 Gerrard Street were converted to a single dwelling in the C20, and the main entrance to the former number 7 was closed.

Details

A house, formerly two cottages, constructed in the C17, refronted in brick and altered in the late C19, and in the C20.

MATERIALS
Timber-framed on a plinth of large sandstone blocks, with brick infill, the front elevation and rear outshut in brick, plain clay tile roofs; slate to the front slope.

PLAN
Orientated north-west to south-east, attached to the adjoining 11 Gerrard Street at the south-eastern end. Two wide bays, single-depth, with rear outshut.

EXTERIOR
The building is of two storeys. The principal elevation, to Gerrard Street, is rendered and incised to resemble ashlar. Formerly a mirror pair of cottages, each bay has a metal casement window with stone cills to each floor; the right bay has an entrance doorway up two stone steps, with a late-C19 door. The render shows evidence of the corresponding C19 entrance in the left bay, since blocked. The western return has a high stone plinth, above which is exposed the former internal partition between this and the now-demolished neighbouring two cottages. The external faces of the tie beam and several other of the exposed timbers are decayed and have been covered with nailed-on oak floorboards, stained to match the originals. The timber frame is built on a high stone plinth, partly replaced in brick to the left; it has small square framing to the ground floor with less regular framing including jowled posts and a curved brace to the first floor. The tie beam and principal rafters of the end truss are visible. The infill is rendered and painted. The chimney stacks have been removed. To the rear is a deep catslide roof which changes pitch slightly as it slopes down over the outshut. There are two, probably later-C18 or C19 gabled dormers in the rear slope. The outshut is built in brick, and has timber windows and door, and a rooflight to the left.

INTERIOR
The ground floor is divided into two rooms to the front, within the timber-framed range. The plan is roughly symmetrical, with a wide inglenook fireplace built of large sandstone blocks at either end under chamfered timber bressumers (both now converted to storage), and a timber winder stair to the side of the fireplaces, behind later doors. The stairs are both timber replacements, probably late C19 or earlier C20. The rooms are divided by a partition formed of a high sandstone plinth, with square framing above, two panels by two to the front section, one by two to the rear; they are built under a large cross beam which is chamfered, and runs the depth of the main range. The wall plates are of similar size scantling, and also chamfered. The rear wall has regular square framing, set on a sandstone plinth of the same height. To the right hand bay, there is no ceiling beam, but large joists run axially across the room, partly truncated by a trimmer at the right-hand side, creating an earlier opening to the upper floor. The left-hand bay has an axial ceiling beam, roughly chamfered, tenoned into the cross-beam, and of similar scantling. The joists, which thus run at right angles to those in the right-hand bay, show evidence of re-use; they have been turned on edge and are rebated to the lower edge, indicating that they may have previously accommodated ceiling boards. A stone-built cellar with vaulted stone ceiling runs under the front of the building, reached from either end by stone winder steps running under the stair to the upper floor. The steps to the left bay have been blocked and the space converted to a cupboard. The cellar steps have been repaired with a mixture of red brick and engineering brick. The roof has been slightly modified to create two small lights at pavement level, at the time of the refronting of the house. The rear outshut has a central, timber-framed partition, and a further partition to create a bathroom at the northern end. The doors are C19 plank and batten examples. The finishes are otherwise all of C20 date.

To the first floor, the two bays are divided by a closed mid-truss. The rising wall-posts are jowled, and meet the queen-post truss, formed from tie beam, paired principal rafters, collar, queen struts and angled ridge-piece, with curved windbraces to the trenched purlins, all pegged. The wall framing includes an angled brace running between the wall post and tie beam, the whole pattern of the framing replicated in the framing of the walls to either end of the house. The first floor of the right bay is a single room; that to the left is divided in two axially. There is no doorway between the two bays on the upper floor, each of which is still reached by its own stair. The rooms are ceiled above collar level. The loft space shows that the ridge piece of the roof and the common rafters of the original front roof slope remain in situ, but a late-C19 softwood structure has been created above these common rafters in order to carry the front slope up above the height of the C19 windows in the rebuilt front wall.

Sources

Books and journals
Stephens, WB, A History of the County of Warwick: Volume VIII, the City of Coventry and Borough of Warwick, (1969), 434-447

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