7,9, WESTGATE

Nos 7 and 9 Westgate is a house that has been converted into shops and offices, which were mostly unoccupied at the time of the last survey. It was built in 1794 by John Platt for himself and has undergone alterations since then. The building features an ashlar sandstone facade and a coated slate roof. It stands three storeys tall and has a current configuration of one bay, three bays, and two bays, with the central bays recessed. It occupies a corner site with a later left return that faces Main Street.

The ground floor has 20th-century shop fronts that fill the recessed central part. The first-floor windows are tall and have renewed casements in plain openings, with projecting sills on the outer bays and an exposed sill band in bay two. The second floor has a string course beneath shorter window openings, featuring unequally-hung nine-pane sashes, while bays five and six now have iron casements. A continuous moulded cornice with an ashlar blocking course runs along the top. The left bay of the roof has been altered, and the right bay of the left return has been rebuilt to match the main front. The buildings to the left, which are also part of No 9, were constructed later and are not of special interest. John Platt sold the house in 1808 but continued to live there until his death on December 14th, 1810. The part of the house further to the left was demolished when Main Street was constructed.