32, High Street

32 High Street, Bromyard

No. 32 High Street is an 18th-century townhouse that underwent extensive 19th-century remodelling. It is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, with stucco applied to the ground floor and some stone detailing. A central brick chimneystack rises from the building.

The building comprises a front range running parallel to the High Street and a perpendicular rear range of considerable length, with a single-storey extension along the north-west side of the rear range.

The principal elevation faces the street and rises three storeys with a piano nobile and parapeted roof, arranged in two bays with symmetrical fenestration on the first and second floors. The first floor contains two tall casement windows with narrow marginal glazing bars, while the second floor has two squat four-over-four sash windows. All windows feature exposed painted-stone wedge lintels and plain reveals. A stone cornice sits above the attic windows. The ground floor has a tripartite sash window to either side of the entrance door, with the right-hand window narrower than the left. The door is positioned off-centre to the right and features fielded panels with arched heads, a detail repeated in the soffit of the recess. A plain semi-circular fanlight sits above the door. Plain pilasters flank the door recess, terminating in moulded corbels that support a moulded hood. Three stone steps splay outward from the doorway. The rear range is also brick and features an ornate door surround with Tuscan pillars and an open pediment.

The interior contains ornate plaster work concentrated in the front range. The main corridor displays a cornice with acanthus leaf and flower motifs, a deeply recessed doorway with a moulded plaster arch on moulded imposts, and two further moulded archways—one resting on corbels and the other again showing acanthus and flower ornament. This corridor leads to a steep dog-leg staircase positioned at the rear of the main range. The staircase features a moulded wooden banister with splat-like balustrading, and the tread-ends display cut-out designs that are most elaborate at ground-floor level. The ceiling follows the curve of the stair and has a moulded plaster border with flower motifs. The principal ground-floor room contains a decorative fireplace with fluted pilasters, a deep moulded mantle, and a cast-iron grate with tiled surround, together with high skirting boards and a moulded cornice. The principal first-floor room has similar features and panelled window reveals. The rear range displays eclectic features including a mixed tiled floor and a wide veranda. Beneath the main range is a two-roomed cellar accessed by stone steps, with chamfered beams featuring finely-cut scroll stops.

Bromyard is a small market town first recorded around 840. High Street, formerly known as Novus Vicus in the late 13th century and recorded as Newe Streate in 1575, was fully built up by the early 17th century, though some plots have been redeveloped since that time. No. 32 occupies one of the principal thoroughfares in the town.