18, Durngate Street

This is an 18th-century house, likely built before 1781, located on Durngate Street. The building appears to have been altered in the 19th century to serve as a shop, and as of 2009 is believed to be again in domestic use.

The exterior is rendered, with a pitched tiled roof and a moulded wooden eaves cornice. The building has a rectangular plan, although the south-east portion was removed between 1902 and 1929, creating an L-shaped layout to which a small extension has been added more recently.

The street frontage is a three-bay design, with two windows on each of the two storeys and a central door. The windows have replacement sash frames. A prominent entablature above the ground-floor window in the right-hand bay suggests this opening was enlarged, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century to create a shop window. The window itself was later reduced in size, but remains larger than the other front windows. The doorcase is formed of Tuscan pilasters that support an entablature with a dentil cornice. The flush-panelled door is potentially original, though the upper panels have been removed and glazed. The front elevation connects to that of the adjacent building at number 19, with a narrow door suggesting a passageway between the two.

The interior has not been inspected.

Durngate Street was largely built up by 1771, and number 18 is considered part of a group of buildings that probably predate this date. The building was originally built as a house, converted to a shop in the late 18th or early 19th century, and then reverted to domestic use later in the 19th century. Number 19, next door, remains a shop.

The building is designated at Grade II for its architectural merit as a good example of a modest, two-storey 18th-century house, distinguished by its classical doorcase; its historical interest is enhanced by alterations reflecting changes of use over time.