1, 1A, 2 and 2A, Church Place

Nos. 1, 1A, 2 and 2A on Church Place are a terrace of cottages built between 1853 and 1854 for the Great Western Railway Company. The cottages are constructed from ashlar limestone with Flemish bond brick at the rear and feature slate roofs. Each cottage is two stories high, one room deep, and has two bays. There is a central segmental pointed chamfered arch over the entry to the rear access. The design includes a low plinth, chamfered window surrounds, and 20th-century casements with rounded top corners. Gablets are present over the entry and the end bays.

The cottages were part of a village designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to accommodate workers for the new Great Western Railway works. Construction began in 1842, with most buildings completed by 1855. The village layout consists of 12 terraces in six blocks on either side of the High Street, and it is recognized as one of Britain’s best-preserved and architecturally ambitious railway settlements.