31 and 33, Broad Street

31 and 33 Broad Street are two houses with a 17th-century core, significantly altered and refronted in the 18th century. Two shop fronts were inserted at ground-floor level in the late 19th or early 20th century.

The three-bay facade is nearly symmetrical. Recessed sash windows with brick lintels and projecting sills are located above the shop fronts. On the first floor, 8-over-8 sashes flank a 6-over-6 sash; on the second floor, 4-over-4 sashes flank a 3-over-3 sash. The shop front of No. 31 has a central door flanked by paired, arched, plate-glass windows with splayed arched returns. The shop front of No. 33 has a doorway to the left and a single plate-glass window to the right, above which are two arched transom lights.

The interior of No. 31 features exposed chamfered beams with shallow scroll stops on the ground floor. A large cellar, partially cut into the bedrock along the rear wall, is located beneath the shop. This part of the building contains 18th-century joinery including a staircase and doors. A late 19th-century cast iron fire surround of classical design is in the ground floor. On the first floor, the property has an Art Nouveau cast iron fire surround, while the second floor contains an 18th-century Forest pattern hob grate. The interior fittings of No. 33 date from the 19th century.

Located on a principal thoroughfare in Bromyard, a market town first recorded around 840, the building stands adjacent to the market square and reflects the development of the area during the 17th and 18th centuries when the street was fully built up.

The building is designated at Grade II for its historical significance as a town house with a 17th-century core, 18th-century refronting and later shop fronts, illustrating the area’s development. It is also valued for its symmetrical Georgian frontage and the well-designed shop front to No. 33, which contribute to the character of the street. The building also possesses group value with other listed buildings in Broad Street.