Queen Annes Court Including Former Ambulance Station Fronting Commercial Road

Queen Anne's Court, including the former ambulance station fronting Commercial Road, is a range of houses, flats and former warehouses converted to sheltered accommodation for older people in 1984. The buildings occupy two main ranges: one facing Castle Street, dating from 1897, and another facing Commercial Road, probably also built in 1897.

The Castle Street range is built of red brick with stone dressings, though the ground storey and entire rear wall are rendered. The Commercial Road range is constructed of squared stone rubble with red brick dressings; part of the ground storey and parapet, along with the whole rear wall, are rendered. Both ranges have slate doors. The Castle Street range is hipped at its left-hand end and features three large panelled brick chimneys on the ridge and a smaller one to the rear at the left-hand end.

The buildings form a double-depth range to Castle Street with a short rear wing on the left, while the Commercial Road range is single-depth. The two ranges are separated by a small courtyard with an entrance from a side street on the south.

The Castle Street frontage rises three storeys and consists of a seven-window range with four windows in the return front to the left and one window on a splayed corner. The windows have segmental heads with keystones to the ground and second storeys, and flat heads to the third storey. All are fitted with four-pane sashes, mostly twentieth-century replacements, though some ground-floor windows are wider with triple sashes, and the upper central sash of two right-hand examples retains original patterned glazing. Moulded string courses form a pedestal to the second storey, where windows have bracketed cills, some carrying ornamental iron window-box holders. A string course links the keystones, which at this storey display tiny segmental pediments. Lugged aprons decorate the third-storey windows. The eaves have a coved cornice.

The splayed corner is treated distinctly, with a three-light bow window at ground level having square columns between and flanking the lights; the top cornice is surmounted by a balustrade. In the upper storeys the windows are set in a slight projection with a triangular pediment above the eaves cornice.

Both fronts carry rainwater pipes with decorated heads bearing the date 1897.

The Commercial Road frontage is two storeys and arranged in four bays separated and flanked by rusticated pilasters. Each bay contains a wide central window, probably originally a loading bay, flanked by two small windows, all fitted with twentieth-century barred sashes. A moulded band-course runs at first-floor level. The top features a moulded cornice and parapet. The return front to the right has a similar two-bay arrangement with only one small window in each bay, and a small circular window, now blocked, in the gable.

Historical records show that draft Corporation leases of 1897 describe three bonded stores or warehouses 'newly erected' in Commercial Road made out to two spirit merchants. Two of these were identified as Nos 2 and 3 Commercial Road, probably this property. A slate plaque in the courtyard records the opening of the flats by Spiral Housing Association on 18 May 1984.

The interiors were not inspected for this listing.