5-13, Bridge Street And 2, Quay Street

Terrace of 12 houses, now converted to flats, with one house and shop, located on Bridge Street in Worcester. Built probably between 1771 and 1799 in two stages, possibly designed by John Gwynn, architect of Worcester Bridge. The terrace has undergone later alterations including a mid to late 19th-century shop front to the left and conversion to flats with ground-floor rebuilding in 1981-3.

The buildings are constructed of brownish-red brick in Flemish bond with ashlar plinth, first-floor band and entablature. The two houses on the right have stucco to the ground floor with red gauged brick arches. Roofs are of slate, hipped to the left, with tall brick party-wall stacks featuring oversailing courses and pots. The terrace occupies one entire side of the sloping street and is canted at the left end to follow the street's angle.

The terrace is three storeys with attics. The main elevation shows 3:24:7 first-floor windows arranged across the frontage. Each house is mainly three windows wide with side stairhalls. The ashlar detailing includes continuous chamfered plinth, first-floor sill band, frieze and cornice to the main range, and a low coped parapet to the right range, all stepped to follow the street's slope. The ground floor at the right has horizontal rustication in stucco.

Windows are primarily 6/6 sashes in plain reveals with flat arches of gauged brick. Those to the ground floor at the right have flat channelled arches with keystones. The two first-floor windows to No. 13 on the splayed angle are painted. First-floor windows to No. 10 have cast-iron scrolled balconettes. Flat-roofed attic dormers contain 3/6 sashes where original.

At the left angle is a shop front with painted brick plinth and plate-glass windows canted into a part-glazed entrance with lower panel, frieze, fascia and dentil cornice. The main range entrances have steps leading to 6-panel doors with fanlights in panelled reveals, set within 3/4 engaged Doric doorcases with open pediments, mostly renewed. The two entrances at the right are stuccoed with 6-panel doors having upper panels raised and fielded and lower panels flush, set in architraves with fluted Doric pilasters, frieze and pediment.

The return elevation to Quay Street comprises 3 lower storeys and 2 first-floor windows. The ground floor contains a 3/6 sash and an 8/8 sash, both in near-flush frames with cambered arches. Other replacement windows sit under cambered arches. The entrance is a 6-raised-and-fielded-panel door in a timber doorcase with frieze and cornice. The rear elevation features mainly 6/6 sashes with elliptical arches, while attics contain 3/3 and 6/6 sashes.

The development of this terrace coincides with the erection of Worcester Bridge (built 1771-80 by John Gwynn), from which Bridge Street commences. During the 19th century, the houses were converted to shops with flats above, with shop fronts dating from various periods. The terrace was returned to domestic occupation as flats in the 1980s. No. 2 was totally demolished in 1981-3, with Nos. 3 and 4 (now Nos. 1-3 Warmstrey Court) retaining their 18th-century facades.

The terrace forms a good group with the terrace opposite on the west side of Bridge Street and John Gwynn House, together forming the visual approach to listed buildings in Broad Street to the north and grouping with Worcester Bridge to the south.