Summary
Possibly built originally as a house, later a shop with accommodation above, first built in around the C15, extended to the rear in the C17 and C18, re-fronted and partially rebuilt in the C18, with a mid-C20 shopfront.
Description
Possibly built originally as a house in around the C15, later a shop with accommodation above, extended to the rear in the C17 and C18, re-fronted and partially rebuilt in the C18, with a mid-C20 shopfront.
The late-C20 pitched-roof wing* and former outbuilding* to the east are not included in the listing*.
MATERIALS: timber-frame structure, refaced in brick, under mostly clay-tile roofs.
PLAN: located at the end of a terrace, the front of the building stands at the west end of a long thin plot that extends eastward and has largely been built over.
EXTERIOR: the front pile is a two-storey range with attic and cellar. It is topped by a pitched tile roof; the east pitch of the roof has been partially raised. The front elevation has a mid-C20 shop front. Above, the first floor is brick laid to Flemish bond. It contains a pair of C19 two-over-two sash windows, the surrounding brickwork indicates historic modifications to the size of the window openings. There are a pair of dormers in the roof’s west pitch, these contain C20 single-pane timber windows. To the south is a narrow, recessed, brick, gable-end bay with mid-C20 windows and shop front. A south-end door leads to a side passageway bounded by the front-pile’s original south elevation with exposed box framing that includes a chamfered corner post and evidence for the mortice holes of an early timber window. To the south-east is a pitched roof cross wing which is partially clad in tiles and has a brick gable end topped by a brick stack. In the north-east corner is a further two-storey rear pile which is partially clad in tiles. To the east is a single-storey mid-C20 brick addition topped by a terrace which is reached by an external staircase.
INTERIOR: within the building’s front pile are the remains of the early-timber frame on the ground floor. Behind the C20 shop front is evidence for the original jetty construction, including a storey post and an angle bracket in the south wall, and another storey post in the north wall. Within the south storey post is a mortice for the lost jetty plate and, extending towards the shop front, are chamfered and stopped jetty joists. There are also substantial stopped and chamfered cross beams and joists. The beams have been reinforced with later supports as walls have been removed to create a largely open-plan ground-floor shop, and some timbers have been replaced. There are also empty mortices in the joists, indicating the location of earlier partitions. The former east wall at ground-floor level has largely been removed to create a more open shop floor, extending through to the later additions to the rear. A wall subdivides the rear half of the shop, and there are more recent partitions in the middle of the building to create a staff area. The ground-floor fireplaces are later insertions, possibly dating to the C18. In the floor is access to a cellar. On the first floor, accessible via an external staircase, the front pile retains exposed box-framing with straight bracing. On this level are some two-panel doors with architraves. Also visible at this level are the tops of the jowled posts. At attic level the roof structure is visible. The front pile roof trusses had substantial cambered collars and a pair of butt purlins which appear to have been reused from the earlier roof construction. It has been suggested that empty mortices in the collar indicate that the roof structure was originally a fan-truss, with raking queen posts and a central kingpost, which has been replaced by C18 struts. Doorways have been inserted into the trusses. The south-east cross wing, of around C17, retains sections of box framing with straight braces at first-floor level and jowled posts.
* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest. However, any works to these structures and/or features which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.
History
25 Church Street stands within the centre of Romsey, an historic rural market town, and near to the precinct of the Benedictine nunnery (later Abbey Church of St Mary and St Ethelflaed, Grade I; List entry: 1092649). According to the earliest known deed from 1571, 25 Church Street was owned by the nearby King John’s House (Grade I; List entry: 1231745), a C13 house which was originally part of the Benedictine monastic estate.
25 Church Street was built as a timber-framed jettied building facing onto the street and located at the west end of a long plot which extended back to the east. The evidence of cambered roof collars and a surviving jetty bracket indicates that the building was constructed in around the C15. A survey of the building (1985) suggested that originally at ground-floor level there was a central passage flanked by rooms of unequal size, and that the building was probably a dwelling with a shop that had a storehouse and a kitchen to the rear. It is unclear from what date the ground floor was in commercial use. The building later extended to the rear with the addition of a south-east cross wing; the surviving first-floor box frame and jowled posts indicate this wing dates to around the C17. The building was further extended with a rear pile added parallel to the front pile and running up to the south-east cross wing. The building was described in a deed of 1642 as being subdivided into two dwellings. The 1985 survey concludes that the building’s first floor and roof appear to have largely been reconstructed in the early C18. The scantling of much of the timber in the upper levels, along with the straight braces support this assessment, although some of the larger roof timbers may have been reused. The street elevation was re-fronted in brick in the C18, this included the construction of a parapet and the underbuilding of the jetty. A cellar was also excavated below the building, the exact date of this is unknown. The gable end of the south-east cross wing also appears to have been encased in brick in around the C18 or early C19. In a deed of 1792 the building is described as having long been joined together to form one property.
The Romsey Tithe Map (1845) shows 25 Church Street with an L-shaped footprint which appears to incorporate the original front pile, rear pile and south-east cross wing, along with a detached outbuilding to the rear. This arrangement largely remained the same in late-C19 and early-C20 Ordnance Survey maps. In the mid-C20 the building to the south of number 25 was demolished and replaced by a Royal Mail sorting office which was set back from the earlier street line; the construction of the sorting office led to the demolition of the south end of the outbuilding to rear of number 25. In the mid-C20, 25 Church Street’s current shop front was installed, replacing an earlier C19 shop front. In the 1960s plans were drawn up to extend the building to the south with the addition of a brick bay containing a display window. Also, in the mid-C20 a single-storey flat roof extension was added to the east, creating a first-floor terrace accessed via an external staircase; it may have been around this time that internal access between the ground floor and upper level was removed. Osborne House, attached to the north side of number 25, was demolished in the mid-C20 and the site used as a car park; in 1990 this was replaced by the Abbey Walk development. In the late 1980s the parapet on 25 Church Street’s west elevation was removed. By the late C20, 25 Church Street had been further extended to the rear, with a single-storey link between the main building and the detached remains of the rear outbuilding* which underwent significant rebuilding in the late C20. Following a survey in February 2022, there are plans to undertake urgent remedial works to the building’s cellar, including resetting the support props.
Reasons for Listing
25 Church Street, Romsey, Test Valley, Hampshire is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural Interest:
* it retains key early building fabric which helps to illustrate its original form, including the remains of a former jetted front;
* the various phases of surviving timber-framing display evidence for local building traditions as well as good-quality craftsmanship, including stopped and chamfered ceiling joists and cambered roof collars.
Historic Interest:
* it is a legible example of an evolved urban dwelling of C15, with C17 and C18 extension and rebuilding, reflecting changing living standards and requirements.
Group Value:
* it stands in the historic core of Romsey and has group value with several other nearby listed buildings that face onto Church Street, as well as with the nearby King John’s House (Grade I; List entry: 1231745) with which it is historically associated.
External Links
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
Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)