53 and 53a, Front Street

Nos 53 and 53A on Front Street in Tynemouth are mid-18th century houses that have been converted into two separate dwellings. They are built of brick with a rendered plinth and ashlar dressings, topped with a Welsh slate roof. The buildings rise three storeys and feature three windows. In the center, there are two four-panelled doors with overlights; the left door has three panes and is beneath a rendered panel that replaces a former shop fascia. The windows are 19th-century sashes inserted in bricked-in shop fronts, with projecting stone sills. The upper floors have glazing bars, with tripartite arrangements in the outer bays, all under cambered brick arches on the first floor and soldier course lintels on the second. A band runs along the second floor, and the eaves are slightly swept. There are two end brick chimneys. Inside, the cellar contains a brick-vaulted oven with large and small doors featuring wrought-iron hinges and spring-ended latches. The building is included partly for its group value.