1 And 3, Cable Street

A pair of houses at 1 and 3 Cable Street, Lancaster, were built in 1760 and altered around 1965, with part of the structure demolished at that time. The design is attributed to Richard Gillow and the houses were commissioned for Captain Henry Fell and Mr Samuel Simpson. They are constructed of sandstone ashlar to the front, with sandstone and brick to the rear, and have a slate roof. The building follows a T-plan, comprising a double-depth front range with a long, two-story rear wing. Originally three stories high with a cellar, No. 1 now has only one story. The facade has eight bays, with three bays to No. 1 and five bays to No. 3, the latter incorporating a waggon entrance with a deep stone lintel. Architectural details include chamfered quoins, a first-floor sill band, and a moulded eaves cornice. The windows have moulded architraves with triple keystones; those in No. 3 have 12-pane sashes. The doors of both houses are combined in the third and fourth bays into a central feature, with a Doric pediment incorporating a triglyph frieze carried on three engaged columns – reportedly the first such feature in Lancaster. Recessed panelled doors are set back, with four steps leading up, and have integral overlights with tracery of differing patterns. The rear wing, accessed through the waggon entrance, has modern ground-floor additions, but otherwise features coupled windows and a two-stage stair window, all with glazing bars. The interior of No. 3 includes a dogleg staircase with an open string, scrolled brackets, and reeded architraves to some doors. Captain Fell was a Port Commissioner, possibly related to Gillow. A specification for the building survives in the Gillow archives, and the mason was William Kirby; a full-scale drawing of the central doorway was created for his use. Historical records connect Captain Fell’s new house at Fleet Bridge to specifications for the new Custom House (now the Maritime Museum). No. 3 was separately listed on 18 February 1970.