8 and 9 North Brink

Pair of houses built in the late C18 with early-C19 and late-C20 alterations, now used as a doctors’ surgery.

MATERIALS: brown brick with brick dressings and slate-clad roof.

PLAN: the building is located in a terrace along the north shore of the River Nene. It is rectangular on plan and there is a rear lean-to extension to No. 8.

EXTERIOR: the symmetrical two-bay houses have four storeys and a basement, and a plain parapet. The inner bays are dominated by rebuilt bow windows which rise through three storeys and have moulded cornices and C20 twelve-over-twelve pane sash windows with gauged red brick arches. Above these are three-over-three pane sashes. The matching entrances have recessed four-panelled doors, round-headed fanlights with radial glazing bars, and doorcases with fluted pilasters and reveals and corner blocks. The windows at each floor above the entrances are blank: those to the first and second floors give the appearance of being six-over-six pane sashes, and those on the top floor are three-over-three pane sashes. The subsidiary rear elevation is lit by C20 three-over-three pane sash windows with flat brick arches, and there is a C20 door to No. 9.

INTERIOR: this has been extensively remodelled and retains little of its original plan form. None of the original joinery, fixtures or fittings has survived with the exception of the kitchen range in the basement of No. 9 and the principal open well stair which is located at the end of the long narrow entrance corridor. This has an open string with carved tread ends, two stick balusters per tread, slender round newel posts and a mahogany handrail that terminates in a curtail.