School Of Violin Making

NEWARK ON TRENT

SK7953NE KIRKGATE 619-1/8/187 (North East side) No.43 School of Violin Making

GV II

Former bank and manager's house, now school of violin making. Dated 1887. By Watson Fothergill for the Nottingham & Notts Bank. Tower reduced in height, 1957. Converted c1975. Red brick, with blue brick, terracotta and stone dressings and gabled and hipped plain tile roofs. Single ridge and 2 side wall stacks, the latter with twisted double shafts. Italian Gothic Revival style. Rockfaced chamfered plinth. 2 and 3 storeys plus 4-stage tower. In the centre, a 2 storey banking hall with plinth, string courses, stepped pilasters and coped balustrade, which extends to the right to form a balcony to the tower. 3 full height transomed windows with shafts and panel tracery. Tower, to right, has string courses and pyramidal roof with bracketed eaves on corbels. Ground floor has a round headed recess with hood mould containing 2 doors with trumeau and double flanking shafts, and graduated triple light above them. Above, a shouldered plain sash and above again, 2 round headed plain sashes opening onto the balcony. Bell stage has on each side a round headed recess with hood mould, containing 3 round headed plain sashes with shafts. To left, manager's house and offices. Plinth, string courses, modillion eaves cornice, cogged eaves and iron ridge crests. 3 storeys; 3 window range with central cross mullioned window flanked by single square oriels cross mullioned windows, that to the right being smaller and simpler. Above, 3 double and one triple round headed plain sashes with shafts on corbels. Central shouldered 2 leaf door with mullioned overlight, flanked to left by a 3-light shouldered plain sash with shafts, and to right by a pair of similar 2-light windows. The shafts form supports to the oriel above each window. To the far left, an entry door with tiled canopy and stone lintel. Interior has polychrome banking hall with coved panelled ceiling on corbels. Entrance side has a central polychrome stone fireplace with tiled overmantel on brackets. To left, a moulded round headed double recess with granite pier, and to right, a segment headed doorway with half-glazed doors. Opposite end has 3 doorways and to right a stone and glazed brick fireplace inscribed "Estd. 1834". On either side, 3 tall windows. Open well dogleg stair with moulded handrail and unusual turned, cruciform balusters. Corridors on each floor have pedimented doorcases. Main first floor offices have cornices and more elaborate doorcases. Single Tudor arched tiled fireplace. This building is a virtually intact example of the idiosyncratic work of Watson Fothergill. (Buildings of England: E Williamson: Nottinghamshire: London: 1979-: 195).

Listing NGR: SK7988853990