56-59, ST MICHAEL'S STREET

A terrace of four houses, now three, located on St Michael’s Street, Shrewsbury, was built around 1800. Originally the apprentice house for Benyon and Bage’s flax mill, it was designed by John Simpson, who acted as both architect and builder. The building is constructed of “great bricks” and has a Welsh slate roof. It is three storeys high, with a wide four-window facade. Each house originally had a paired door, sheltered by a single pedimented hood, although one door has been replaced with a window in the right-hand pair. The windows are four-pane sashes, set within cambered brick arches. Blind window spaces are present in the left-hand unit on the ground and second storeys. A painted plaque, centered on the elevation, reads “Ann Hill.” The building has a hipped roof to the left. A three-window-range return elevation features wide six-pane sashes, with central spaces that are blind. The brickwork is notable for its connection to the Ditherington flax mill complex, where the same “great bricks” were used in all construction work before 1805. End walls and axial stacks are also present.