12-16, THE PANTILES

Nos 12 to 16 on The Pantiles were built in 1746, although they are marked as "Erected 1664". This building consists of three sections. The north wing is situated over an arcade that connects The Pantiles to London Road. It has two storeys and an attic above the arcade, with tile-hung walls, three dormers, and three windows. The east wing features a front made of painted wood, designed to mimic masonry, and has three storeys. It includes a paired bracket eaves cornice and three sash windows, most of which retain their glazing bars. The first floor has one curved bay window and one canted bay window. The building has modern shop fronts and a colonnade of six Tuscan columns on high plinths, along with a fine cast iron balcony. No 16, the south wing at the back of the shops, has a half-hipped gable and a doorcase on London Road with fluted pilasters and a flat hood supported by brackets. Inside No 16, there is a notable 18th-century staircase featuring one plain and one spiralled baluster on each tread, scrolled tread ends, and a newel post styled as a Tuscan column. Nos 2 to 28 (even) and Nos 38 to 72 (even) are part of the same group.