85, High Street

No. 85 High Street is a house and shop, now serving as building society offices, dating from the mid-19th century. The building features rendered walls, likely made of brick, and has a slated roof. It stands three storeys tall, with one window facing High Street and five windows on Cross Street, including one window on a recessed, rounded corner.

The ground storey has round-arched openings, with three facing High Street, one on the corner, and seven on Cross Street. Pilaster strips, originally rusticated, flank the three High Street openings and the corner opening, and also divide the Cross Street openings into pairs. The current entrance is located on the High Street front, whereas it was originally situated on the corner.

The ground storey is topped with a moulded cornice that projects over each pilaster, decorated with a lion-head and supported by a scroll. The cornice on the corner is dentilled and supported by a shell-like bracket. The upper-storey windows have plain architraves, and those facing High Street feature a 'Venetian' three-light arrangement set in a broad cement frame that extends through both storeys. An early photograph indicates that ornate cornices and brackets have been removed. All second-storey windows have low balustrades in front and contain French windows with four panes each. The second-storey windows have four-pane sashes, with a continuous cill-band towards Cross Street and on the corner. The fronts are finished with a broad band surmounted by a patterned balustrade, divided by panelled pedestals, with the pedestals towards High Street adorned with rosettes.

The interior has not been inspected. This building is noted for its group value and prominent location at the corner of High Street and Cross Street. It was formerly a chemist's shop.