94-106, WALCOT STREET

This is a terrace of shops with living accommodation above, built in 1883, although incorporating a pair of houses dating from the early 19th century into Nos. 94 and 96. The terrace was designed by CE Davis. It is constructed of limestone ashlar, with Welsh slate roofs largely hidden from street view, except for a low mansard roof on Nos. 94 and 96.

The terrace has a balanced design and a double-depth plan. The three-storey facades are largely identical. The ground floor features a row of mostly original shopfronts, divided by stone pilasters with console capitals. Some of the original narrow timber mullions have been removed to accommodate larger sheets of plate glass. There are doorways to the right. A continuous sill band runs along the first floor. Each shop has a large tripartite window on the first floor with stone mullions and a transom, the mullions projecting beyond the plain sashes. The first-floor windows have alternate pediment and cornice heads. The second-floor windows are paired on each house and feature a sill band and plain sashes framed by plain pilasters. The building has an entablature, cornice, and parapet, with ashlar stacks topped with pots. The south elevation of No. 94 has two framed panels on each floor, with a six/six sash window on the first floor. The north elevation of No. 106 has a blind window. The rear elevations are plain, although the earlier date of Nos. 94 and 96 is clearly visible.

The interior of No. 106 was inspected and found to have no features of particular note. The differing planes and roof lines of Nos. 94 and 96, as well as their end and rear elevations, indicate the earlier build. Overall, the terrace represents an eclectic parade of shops in the City Architect’s characteristic Free Classical style.