22, Northgate Street

22 Northgate Street is a five-bay house of two storeys with an attic, dating from the late 17th century with alterations made in the late 18th century.

The building is constructed in ashlar over brick and is single-depth on plan, with a long rear wing to the north. The main elevation stands on a slightly projecting plinth and features a string course and moulded stone cornice at the eaves, beneath a hipped roof. The fenestration is slightly irregular, with an additional bay to the left that breaks forward slightly and contains blocked window openings. The entrance bay breaks forward and houses a six-panel door beneath a rectangular fanlight; a second similar entrance door to the right was probably converted from a window. The remaining windows are six-over-six sashes in plain reveals. The roof is covered in Welsh slate and features two gabled dormers, each fitted with side-hung timber casements. A double-height bow window on the side elevation dates probably from the 19th century.

The house has historical associations with Joseph Parkes (1796–1865), the radical politician from Birmingham, and his brother Josiah (1793–1871), an engineer and inventor, who were reportedly born and brought up here. The 18th-century architect Francis Hiorn is recorded as having dwelt in a house on the sites of numbers 18, 20 or 22 and may have remodelled the present houses on these sites.

The house stands within the context of Warwick's radical rebuilding following the Great Fire of 5 September 1694, which devastated much of the town including Northgate Street. Although the fire destroyed all houses on the east side, some rear walls appear to have survived. The present houses were rebuilt in the period immediately following the fire before the end of the 17th century, with substantial alterations to detailing and main elevations added during the late 18th century. Originally substantial private dwellings, by 1896 trade directories reveal several had converted to commercial and professional use or lodgings, though some remained private family homes. By the early 21st century, the houses were in use as offices for district council departments.

The building has group value with the other listed buildings along both sides of Northgate Street.