12-16, NEWNHAM STREET

A row of three houses at 12-16 Newnham Street, Bedford, was built in 1798 for James Whittingstall and William Long, who were brewers. The buildings are constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with plain tile roofs and brick stacks. They are two storeys high and six bays wide. Each house is two bays wide, with a gabled rear wing; the wings of numbers 12 and 14 have been heightened, while the wing of number 16 has been rebuilt. Number 12 has an original six-panel door on the left side, set within an architrave with a four-pane overlight, a dentilled cornice, and a bracketed hood. Numbers 14 and 16 have more recent doors, one on the left and one on the right, respectively, both with overlights and bracketed hoods. Numbers 12 and 14 each feature a mid-to-late 19th-century bay window. Number 16 has a small-pane bowed window on a brick plinth. On the first floor, numbers 12 and 16 retain original window openings with flat, gauged brick arches; number 16 has original small-pane, side-sliding sashes, while number 12 has replacement two-light casements. Number 14 has upvc windows set within concrete rendered surrounds and tile sills. Two ridge stacks are located between the houses. The interiors of numbers 12 and 14 retain original board doors, cupboards, and stairs. Number 14 still has a closed string balustrade with stick balusters and a ball-finialed square newel. A continuous roof space connects the buildings. Deeds and a terrier from St Cuthbert’s Church in 1822 are documented, along with a diagram from the Bedfordshire County Planning Department illustrating aspects of the town's origins and development.