History

The terrace of shops with accommodation over was in the process of development on the second edition OS map of 1899-1900. This shows the building on the corner of Princess Road and 3 adjacent properties (Nos 411-425), together with the building which forms the left hand end of the terrace (No399-401). The strongly unified design of the terrace suggests that it was designed as a piece, though built in separate phases.

Exterior

Nos 399-415: 6 shops,each given separate emphasise by a crow-stepped main gable, and a similar smaller gable over a subsidiary bay. Ground floor shop fronts largely renewed, though pavement canopies survive to Nos 413 and 415. Timber canted oriel windows to first floor in each main gable, with slate roofs, and 2-pane sash windows on each floor in the lesser gables. Main gables also have 2-pane sash windows in their apexes.

Reasons for Listing

Nos 399-415 represent an ambitious commercial development on an urban scale, using a distinctive local feature of crow-stepped gables to create a strong architectural rhythm while emphasising individual units in the row.

Forms a group with Midland Bank (No 397).

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29492664

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

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)