24-28 Whitefriargate

Five former houses and shops of 1826-1828 by Charles Mountain Junior, with mid-late C20 and early-C21 alterations. Classical style.

(Formerly Listed as: Nos. 24-28 (Consecutive) Friary Chambers) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARGATE (South side) No.24) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARGATE (South side) No.25) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARGATE (South side) No.26) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARGATE (South side) No.27) (Formerly Listed as: WHITEFRIARGATE (South side) No.28)

MATERIALS: brick, painted ashlar, slate roof.

PLAN: a rectangular east-west building range with north-south and east-west aligned extensions to the rear.

EXTERIOR: The four-storey brick building has painted ashlar dressings and a hipped roof, with four ridge stacks and a pair of side wall stacks to each side. The front (north) elevation has a ground floor comprising five C20 shopfront bays divided into four shops. To the left, (east) of number 24, there is a C19 private entrance porch with granite pilasters and ashlar Ionic capitals supporting acanthus decorated brackets and a wooden cornice. The Friary Chambers entrance has a fielded panel two-leaf doors with gold lettering painted above it: FRIARY CHAMBERS. Above is a leaded porch overlight, containing a late-C20 central board with the arms of Trinity House. The upper storeys are divided into five bays by full height pilasters rising from the ground floor, through the moulded second-floor cornice, to the attic storey. The first floor has four large segmental-headed windows, with three-light casements, apart from the fourth bay (to the west), which retains a pair of moulded window surrounds with moulded cornice and six-over-six sashes. The second floor has a range of eight windows; the three central bays have pairs of windows and the outer bays have single windows, all with moulded window surrounds and six-over-six sashes. The third floor (attic storey) above has plain window surrounds with small six-pane sashes, a moulded cornice, and a small lead-coped parapet.

INTERIOR: the upper floors are now flats, and accessed from the Friary Chambers entrance staircase. A range of features are said to be concealed behind C21 additions, with some cornicing, skirting, ceiling roses, fireplaces and door and window architraves exposed.