Description

1690/0/10066

GEORGE STREET
56-65

17-JAN-08

II
A terrace of ten ground floor shops with accommodation to the two upper floors. Early C19. The terrace has stuccoed brick walling to the street front and brick to the rear, where there are projecting single-storey wings which may have served as workshops. There is a shallow-pitched slate roof.

EXTERIOR: There are shop fronts to the ground floor with two upper stories. The symmetrical façade has twelve bays, arranged in a pattern of ABCBADDABCBA. The first floor windows are six by six sashes and there are three over three sashes to the second floor, all the sashes having horns. The architectural accents occur at first and second floor levels and consist of projecting or recessed bays and to either side of the centre are clusters of three bays with an arched, flat-backed niche to the centre, above which is a sunken rectangular panel. The stucco is scribed in immitation of ashlar blocks. The treatment of the shop fronts, with a continuous fascia panel, is uniform. The shop fronts would seem to all be of late C19 or early C20 date and have transom lights above plate glass windows with doorways set to alternate sides. All the shop doors have been renewed. The older windows have a central wooden mullion. There is a central passageway to the ground floor which leads through to the back of the terrace. The walling to the rear is bare brick laid in random bond. Many of the premises have projecting single-storey ranges, shared by two premises and with cambered heads to the openings, which may have been used as workshops.

INTERIORS: Each premises has an open space to the ground floor with staircase to one side and stack opposite. The upper storeys have two rooms to each floor. The exception are Nos.63 and 64 which have been knocked through to form one shop at ground floor level, though this does not disturb a chimney stack. Most of the fireplaces have been removed, but two metal grates survive at first floor level.

Nos. 56-65 George Street, Walsall merit designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* The buildings retain a handsome and well composed façade for their full length which has suffered little adverse alteration.

* The internal plan form of the premises at first and second floor levels remains intact.

* The shop fronts to the ground floor are of late C19 or C20 date, but are surprisingly uniform in their appearance, intact in their essentials and complement the architecture of the upper storeys.

Reasons for Listing

* An early-C19 terrace retaining a handsome and well composed façade for its full length which has suffered little adverse alteration.

* The internal plan form of the premises at first and second floor levels remains intact.

* The shop fronts to the ground floor are of late C19 or C20 date, but are surprisingly uniform in their appearance, intact in their essentials and complement the architecture of the upper storeys.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671583

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.

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