19 Castle Street and associated front railings

19 Castle Street and associated front railings

Former town house, built in the early 18th century with late 18th or early 19th century additions to the rear. The building is linked to number 21 Castle Street above the ground floor.

The structure is constructed in silver-grey brick laid in header bond with red brick quoins and window surrounds, beneath clay tile roofs.

The plan comprises three storeys plus basement, arranged on a double-pile layout. The main range fronts onto Castle Street with a two-storey plus attic extension to the south-west and a narrow single-storey plus attic and basement range to the south-east, the latter extended in the 20th century. The ground floor contains a central entrance passage with rooms either side opening into a lobby. From here, access is provided to the west end to the main staircase and the south-east range, and to the east end to WCs and the large single room of the south-west extension. The first-floor staircase landing gives onto a rear lobby with a large room at the north-east corner and three other rooms at the front, partially subdivided as treatment rooms. The rear extension houses a large single room reached via a short flight of stairs. A small corridor to the south of the treatment rooms connects with number 21. The second floor layout is similar, with front rooms subdivided into five treatment rooms linked by a corridor which also connects to number 21. A central lobby gives onto two rear rooms divided by a stair accessing a room in the attic of the rear extension. Beneath the south-east range is a long brick-vaulted cellar.

The principal elevation onto Castle Street is symmetrical and of five bays, with a parapet featuring stone copings and a moulded brick cornice. The centrally placed entrance has a six-panel door with a plain transom replacing the original arched fanlight. The door surround displays fluted Doric pilasters and Doric entablature and cornice, capped by a segmental pediment. Windows are timber sashes throughout: those on the ground floor have one-over-one plate glass panes, the first floor six-over-six glazing bars, and the second floor three-over-six. Ground and first floor windows have deep segmental heads of gauged brick with fluted keystones and brick hoodmould. Second-floor windows are square-headed openings, also with fluted keystones. Cast-iron rainwater goods with rounded hoppers are positioned on the interior of the two outer bays.

The rear elevation is rendered with an ashlar effect and dominated by a full-height, five-sided bow of the rear extension. Fenestration on the three principal faces comprises replacement timber sashes in plain, square-headed openings. First-floor windows have six-over-six glazing bars whilst ground-floor windows are two-over-two, except for the larger central window which is eight-over-eight. The western return (to the alley between number 21) is blind; the western return has a ground-floor window with paired four-over-four timber sashes and two six-over-six sash windows on the first floor. The roof slope above features a lead-covered, flat-roofed dormer with a pair of two-over-two timber casement windows. To the east of the extension is an oriel bay with a six-over-six timber sash window, adjoining the sloping, slate-covered roof of the start of the south-eastern range.

The entrance hall retains a deep moulded cornice and dado-height raised and fielded panelling. Eight-panel doors on either side have eared moulded door surrounds with cornices supported on fluted pilasters. The eastern ground-floor room features a dentil cornice, full-height raised and fielded panelling, and window shutters. The western room has been modernised but retains elements of the cornice. The south wall contains a large elliptical arch with engaged fluted columns and a panelled soffit. At the south-west end of the hall is another elliptical arch with fluted piers giving onto the lobby leading to the large rear room in the western extension. This room has a late 18th or early 19th century patterned ceiling with central pendant and modillion cornice. Windows retain shutters and there is an eight-panel door. The closed string, open well staircase features tapered-column turned balusters, cushion-topped newel posts, and dado panelling to the walls.

On the first floor, the two front rooms have deep moulded cornices, full-height panelling, window shutters, and window seats. The western room contains a corner fireplace with an eared surround, Rococo mantelpiece, and cast-iron grate. The lobby to the south has dado-height panelling, some original cornicing, and an original door surround. The large rear room in the south-western extension, reached via a short flight of steps with the same type of balustrade as the main stair, has been modernised but retains its eared marble fire surround and window shutters. The second floor rooms are plain and have been largely modernised.

Beneath the south-eastern range, the long brick-vaulted cellar contains modern kitchen fittings and a tiled floor.

The building is fronted on Castle Street by early 19th century spear-headed iron railings on a brick plinth enclosing areas of clay tiling either side of the entrance.