18, Durngate Street

738/7/168 DURNGATE STREET 08-MAY-75 (South side) 18 (Formerly listed as: DUMGATE STREET 18)

II House, C18 and probably predating 1781. The building appears to have undergone alteration to serve as a shop during the C19, and is now (2009) believed to be once more in solely domestic use.

MATERIALS: Rendered, with a pitched tiled roof and moulded wooden eaves cornice.

PLAN: The OS map of 1889 shows a rectangular plan, with a narrow passage running north-south dividing the rear part of the building. The south-east portion of the building was removed at some time between 1902 and 1929, leaving an L-plan, at the junction of which a small extension has more recently been added.

EXTERIOR: The street frontage of this two-storey building is of three bays, with two ranges of windows to each storey and a central door. The windows have replacement sash frames. In the right-hand bay, an oversized entablature above the ground-floor window indicates that the opening was enlarged, probably during the late C18 or early C19, to provide a shop window; the window, though subsequently reduced, is still larger than the other three windows on the front elevation. The doorcase is composed of Tuscan pilasters supporting an entablature with dentil cornice. The flush-panelled door may be original, the upper panels having been removed and glazed. The front elevation of No. 18 extends to meet that of No. 19 (qv); a narrow door leads to what appears to be a passage between the two buildings.

INTERIOR: Not inspected.

HISTORY: Durngate Street is shown as almost completely built up on both sides in Hutchins's map of 1771; though the street also contains later buildings, No. 18 Durngate Street is one of a varied group (Nos 18-20, qv) thought to pre-date 1771. Originally built as a house, the building is believed to have been converted to a shop during the late C18 or early C19, and to have reverted to solely domestic use later in the C19. The neighbouring building, No. 19, also converted, remains a shop.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: 18 Durngate Street is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural: Externally, a fairly complete example of a modest, two-storey Dorchester house of the C18, distinguished from nearby houses of otherwise comparable size, date and style by its classical doorcase * Historical: Traces of alteration indicating changes of use add to the interest of the building