Description

TEWKESBURY

SO8932 CHURCH STREET
859-1/6/139 (North side)
04/03/52 Nos.82 AND 83
Craik House

GV II*

Pair of houses in row. Late C15 or early C16. Late C16/17 rear
wing, extended late C18/C19. Close studded framing with
plaster infill to front, heavy box framing elsewhere, brick
underbuild; tile roofs, brick stacks.
PLAN: side-entry parallel plan, heated by central shared
stack, with lower rear wing making L-plan.
EXTERIOR: 3-storey double-jettied front block covering, to the
right, entry to Turner's Alley. Front is 2-windowed: No.82 has
3-light C18 leaded casement with central opening light to
horizontal bars only, above same at first floor, and C20
3-pane shop front with door, left. The first-floor window is
flanked each side by 2 delicately carved cusped blank lights,
and a carved Perpendicular frieze runs full width immediately
below the jetty. This originally would have been a continuous
window strip, carried also across No.83.
No.83 has 3-light wood casement at first and second floors,
with good small-pane timber bow shop front oriel; to right the
opening to the alley. First-floor casement flanked by 3 and 2
cusped panels as to No.82, but slightly wider lights, but
bressumer above, not frieze.
Large brick stack centred behind ridge, which has some stone
ridge tiles.
In the brick-paved alley wall to right is heavy timber-frame,
to left rendered. Behind front block is 3-storeyed unit in
heavy box framing with brick nogging, with 3-light casement,
followed by 2-storey brick unit with two 3-light casements and
a plank door, left, to No.83. Slightly set back a further
heavy framed unit, with large corner post, 3-light at each
level, and a part glazed stable door to No.82.
INTERIOR: No.82 has very broad ceiling joists and chamfered
transverse beam, large corner posts, and a rough bressumer to
rebuilt fire. Centre, right a mid C18 winder stair with stick
balusters and Doric newels; here some mid C18 fielded
panelling. Framing to party walls and back in heavy members.
Upper stair simple steep winder, probably C18, with a unit of
fielded panelling at head. Corner posts almost cruck-like at
heads.
A small courtyard, covered with C20 glazing, links with back
part of premises, also framed, and with, back right, a blocked
doorway with pointed head. In this room are chamfered-stopped
ceiling joists. Interior of No.83 not inspected, but basic
fabric clearly of same date as No.82 and noted as having
fragments of late C16 wall painting to first-floor front room
including extracts from Psalm 102 and separate text beginning
"Honour thy Father..".
HISTORICAL NOTE: Mrs Craik, author of 'John Halifax,
Gentleman' (1857) lived in No.83.
The cusped first-floor panels constitute a very rare example
and highly significant of C15 wooden fenestration,
particularly for a town house. An exceptionally fine and
well-preserved medieval town house which would repay more
detailed investigation.

Listing NGR: SO8915832589

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17539095

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)