19,21 AND 21A, OLD CROSS

This is a house, now shops with flats above, dating from the 17th century, with alterations made in the 19th century. The exterior is stuccoed over a timber frame, with an old tiled roof. A lead flat roof is present on the left-hand side, and a red brick chimneystack at the rear is topped with long earthenware pots. Number 19 has two storeys and an attic, while the first floor features three projecting, canted wooden oriel bays with plate-glazed sash windows, which are supported by cut brackets. The ground floor has a 20th-century shopfront on the left (Number 19), altered late 19th-century shopfronts in the centre (Number 21), and a two-storey flat-roofed extension on the right (Number 21A), all featuring plate-glazed shop windows with wood frames and half-glazed doors. A stuccoed stallriser, continuous fascia with foliated carved consoles, and a moulded cornice are also present on the ground floor. The roof includes a single box dormer with a sash window and lead cheeks. Inside Numbers 21 and 21A, the spaces have been opened up to create a single shop. The removal of a former end wall has left exposed mortices in the plate work. Visible features include exposed beams with a chamfer and tongue, reset 18th-century panelling and an altered brick fireplace on the rear wall. The upper floors and roof have not been inspected.