Municipal Offices To West Of Mansion House

These three houses, now municipal offices, were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They are constructed of stucco with painted stone dressings and have slate roofs.

Number 1, dating from the late 18th century, is three storeys high and has a double-range plan. The front elevation to High Street has four bays, while the elevation to Priory Place is gabled with five bays. A projecting corner on the High Street elevation features an angled doorcase with fluted Ionic columns, an entablature, and a moulded pediment, enclosing double-leaf panelled doors. A semi-circular headed doorcase with a moulded architrave, panelled jambs, and reeded consoles, originally featuring a cornice, is now filled with a 20th-century window. A pilastrade of three pilasters supports an entablature that is integrated with the corner doorcase's entablature. Between the pilasters are three full-height plate glass sashes, flanked by horizontally rusticated stonework. The first floor has four plate glass sashes, and the second floor has four 12-pane sashes, all with projecting sills. The corner is recessed, and a moulded stone cornice tops the building. Brick end stacks are present, with the right-hand stack rendered and a stone-coped gable on moulded kneelers. The return elevation to Priory Place has a slightly off-centre doorcase, similar to that on the High Street, leading to a six-panelled door and a plain fanlight, flanked to the right by two 12-pane sashes and to the left by two full-height plate glass sashes in a rusticated and pilastered surround. A wide first floor band extends across three bays on the right. There are five first floor 12-pane sashes, two of which are dummy, and five similar second floor windows, also primarily dummy. All windows have projecting sills. Twin gables are present, each with a rendered stack and a stone coping on moulded kneelers.

Number 2, dating from the early 19th century, is two storeys high and has six bays. It has pilastered doorcases with plain friezes and moulded cornices to bays 1 and 3; one contains an inserted window and the other a four-panelled door with a plain overlight. It has two plate glass sashes between the doors, a 20th-century casement in bay 4, and two 12-pane sashes to the right. A wide first floor band runs across the front, followed by six sashes: three to the left with two panes each and three to the right with 12 panes each. All windows have projecting sills. The roof is hipped to the right and features rendered ridge stacks.

Number 3, dating from the late 18th century, is three storeys high and has five bays. It features a central six-panelled door with a margin-glazed overlight in a simple eared architrave with a double keystone, flanked by pairs of 12-pane sashes with projecting sills. A wide first floor band is present, above which are five similar sashes to both the first and second floors, with the central first-floor window and the bay 4 second-floor window being dummy. Stepped eaves are visible, along with yellow brick end and ridge stacks.

The interior of Number 1 retains a stick baluster open-well staircase with a wreathed handrail and scrolled cheekpieces, running through three floors. A reeded cornice and segmental arch characterise the hall. Most original moulded cornices and panelled doors are present throughout, except for the ground floor of Number 3, which has been significantly altered.