24 and 26 High Street

Pair of houses, mid C18 with a C17 or earlier cellar; altered in the C19 and C20, now commercial premises.

MATERIALS: red brick under a terracotta-tiled roof.

PLAN: double-depth rectangular plan with a central entrance and through-passage to the north-east.

EXTERIOR: the building is constructed over two storeys plus an attic, with an earlier stone-built cellar. The principal front is of header-bond red brick with a dentilled eaves cornice; the left side return is rendered. The pitched roof is laid with terracotta tiles, with a brick stack to the right. The main elevation is symmetrical, with a five-window range to the first floor, and on the ground floor paired central doorways beneath a timber canopy on four moulded brackets flanked by canted, timber oriel shop fronts; the left-hand one is early C19 and the right-hand one is a C20 copy. Wide stone steps lead up to the doors. To the right-hand side is a segmental-arched and flagged through-passage. The first floor has gauged brick flat arches with keystones above six-over-six-pane sash windows in exposed frames, with one blocked to the centre. There are two C20 dormers to the attic with terracotta-tile cheeks. Each house extends to the rear under pitched roofs.

INTERIOR: reported by the RCHME to have a central lateral dogleg stair in each house, and an original fitted cupboard with glazed doors and fielded panelled side doors in the front ground-floor room of number 24.