27, 28 AND 29, WESTGATE STREET

27, 28, and 29 Westgate Street are a balanced composition of three houses with shops, built around 1790. They are constructed from ashlar limestone, and the roof is not visible. The exterior features four storeys, each two windows wide, with all glazing-bar sashes; the first and second floors have six-over-six pane windows, while the attic has three-over-three panes. The first-floor windows are set in moulded architraves with a straight cornice, and there is one blind light at the second floor of No. 29. The splay is one window wide and has similar details, with a blind light and a corresponding sash at each level on the return, which are widely spaced. There are modern shopfronts that are not of interest, with an entrance to 27a. The first and second floors feature continuous sill bands, and there are lintels with friezes and cornices above the second floor. The attic storey has an additional cornice with a blocking course and parapet, along with a wide pediment above No. 28. Nos. 27 and 28 have a deep stack to the left, while No. 29 has a broad stack centrally across the building. At the rear, Nos. 27 and 28 are constructed from rubble and have a scattering of sashes, mainly with glazing bars, while No. 29 is made of ashlar and features a small cavetto cornice below the ashlar blocking course and parapet for all three houses. The interiors were not inspected. Historically, this building represents a coherent Neoclassical rebuilding, creating a palace-fronted row in the style of the Adam brothers, and the site has a long history of earlier buildings.