20a and 22, King Street

This is a house and shop, with origins dating back to the 16th century, subsequently altered in the early 18th century and with a 20th-century shop front. It is constructed of timber frame and brick, with a slate roof, and has a long, narrow plan with a corner frontage onto King Street. The eastern elevation is of early 18th century red brickwork with burnt headers, a moulded wooden cornice, and a three-window range. The windows are flush, with moulded architraves and good voussoirs including keystones. The first-floor windows are double casements with 2x3 panes, and the second-floor windows are sash windows with 3x4 panes. A band separates the two storeys. The ground floor incorporates a 20th-century shop front of plate glass. The western end has gabled, plastered timber framing. The first floor features 19th-century pargetted panels with combed decoration. The ground floor extends the shop front around from the front. A two-leaved panelled door leads to No.20A. The west side elevation, along the alley, has a long range of three units, with a 20th-century fixed window at ground floor level. Above this is rendered framing, a first-floor window with a moulded architrave (now a casement, 2x4 panes), and a second-floor sash window with 3x4 panes. The north side has a long, three-window range. The second floor is jettied, with a board indicating the position of a lower jetty, now infilled. The first-floor windows have 18th-century frames and sashes with 3x4 panes. The upper windows are 20th-century top-opening casements. A three-storey rendered block forms the rear, with the wall curving away from the alley and a single 20th-century window on the second floor. The north end has a tall, narrow, three-storey gable in rendered brick, with a fire escape staircase in front. The ground floor has a segment-headed doorway with a plain 20th-century door and a segment-headed window with double sashes (3x2 panes) and an iron grille. The first floor has a segment-headed combined door and window. The second floor has a door with upper glazing of 3x3 panes. The interior features have been rebuilt or masked. The jettied middle range, fronting the carriageway alley, suggests a large domestic range typical of medieval inns, as does the carriageway itself. This building, alongside Nos. 20 and 26, suggests the shape of a large medieval inn.