Picture Shop

The Picture Shop is a building located on St John Street in Newport Pagnell, originally constructed in the 16th century with additions from the 17th century, and alterations made in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The structure is primarily made of stone, with brick used for the street-facing elevation and at the rear. It features plain tiled roofs and a brick chimney. The long range of the building is set gable-end to the road, with the front bay dating back to the 16th century and 17th-century additions extending to the rear.

The street elevation is brick, adorned with applied boards that mimic timber framing, and has a rendered ground floor. It includes a central paned shop window and a paned casement window on the first floor. The entrance is deeply recessed, featuring a side door leading to the shop and another door to the stair hall of No 16. The left side elevation is made of stone and has one 16-pane sash window for the stair, a blocked side doorway, and casement windows on the upper floor, along with roof lights. A large stack has been altered.

Inside, the shop is separately tenanted. Beyond the stair hall, there is a living room that features a large stone corner fireplace and exposed ceiling joists. The next room has heavy, closely spaced ceiling joists and a central spine beam with ogee stops. On the first floor, there is a lateral fireplace with a deep timber bressumer on the north side, now located in a corridor, and another fireplace with elongated ogee stops on the lintel above the living room. The attic bedrooms are situated within the steeply pitched roof, showcasing exposed rafters. The front bay has wide rafters, arched wind-braces, and clasped purlins. The timber-framed partition wall between the front and second bays contains wattle and daub infill.

Historically, this building was part of the former Red Lion Inn, which was owned by the Town Land Feoffees. In the early 19th century, it became a workhouse, which closed under the 1834 Act.