House attached to Post Office, including forecourt walls & railings, Four Crosses, Powys

History

Formerly known as City House.

Occupies a prominent corner plot in The City area of Four Crosses and fronts onto the B4393 Llandrinio road.

1868 purpose built general stores and attached house built for Henry Pugh of Oswestry; become Post Office in 1914.

Exterior

Shop: Two storeys and cellar. Red brick, slate roof, iron crested Gothic ridge, projecting brick stack to side wall and brick corner stack to rear left. Unusually decorative bargeboards in repeated "S" pattern with button ornament, tall moulded finial and pendant. Square dressed date stone with date shield set in quatrefoil recess: "HP 1868". Symmetrical shop front; moulded cornice, fascia with saw-tooth band over three-light windows with splayed central entrance. Fascia-end scroll brackets with tied fruit festoon. Lamb's tongue moulded timber mullions, moulded timber-cill (renewed 1990), dressed stone stall riser. Plain overlight over glazed double doors, stone step - the right hand side heavily worn. Large-paned sash windows throughout with dressed stone heads and cills; the front gable sash with side lights. George V wall letter-box set in brick pier attached to left front.

Attached House: Two storey, red brick on plinth. L-shaped block with slate roofs and iron crested Gothic ridges. Central ridge stack, stack to rear of house and to rear gable end of wing, all brick with oversailing and dentil course and decorative cream clay pots. Ornate pierced quatrefoil bargeboards with moulded finial and pendant to gable ends and small gable over central window. Moulded iron guttering with lion-head decoration. Three window symmetrical front with large-paned sashes, dressed stone heads and cills.
Doorcase with timber columns and moulded cornice, four-panelled door and plain overlight. North west gable end has square dressed stone inset with carved shield, also four irregular sash windows, bottom left with side lights and two small sashes to right with margin glazing. Rear wing has splayed corner to roadside which continues as brick roadside wall with distinctive battlements and dressed copings.

Railings: Intersecting cast-iron railings formed of round arches between main uprights with ball finials, set on low brick forecourt walls with dressed stone copings. Central gate with very ornate pierced foliage panel, also similar smaller gate to left side.

Outbuildings: Two storey red brick block attached to rear gable end of shop. Slate roof, dentil eaves, plank door to right of centre with tall plank loft door above. Formerly corn merchant and feed suppliers; the sack hoist survives in situ. Detached two storey red brick block with slate roof and central gable. Former coach house and stables with veterinary suppliers on the first floor occupying two rooms with fitted shelves and counters. Plank doors, shuttered windows, slit ventilator to stable. To rear of house, two storey, red brick, slate roofed outhouse with surviving bread oven, hot water copper and carved stone sink.

Interior

Interior Shop: Open plan with opposing counters. 1868 shop fittings survive including shelves, drawers for herbal products and remedies, open shelving partitioned with turned spindle supports, counters with panelled fronts divided by pilaster strips. Counter to right has inset brass measure and behind, a yardstick in the original fitted holder. To centre right is window through to house, to rear is Gothic-arched plank door and steps up to first floor with turned newel. To rear left is plank and glazed office partition. Rows of iron rods for hangings are suspended from the ceiling. The side windows have moulded architraving and panelled shutters. Moulded ceiling cornice. Cast iron columns at corners of front window splay. 1914 wooden telephone kiosk.

The general stores incorporated on the ground floor departments for drapery, haberdashery, medicinal products, household goods and groceries. On the first floor was an undertaker's showroom selling coffin linings, shrouds etc with a separate room for customer consultations.

Reasons for Listing

This well-preserved general stores and attached house, opened at the relatively early date of 1868, is a fine example of rural Victorian enterprise. It must have required considerable investment as well as greatly improving the range of services for this community. Together with the coming of the railway and the Milk Factory, this is a key part of the Victorian development of Four Crosses.

External Links

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