32, Promenade

No. 32 Promenade is a library that has been converted into a shop. It was built between 1820 and 1840, with some alterations made, including a shop front added in the 1980s. The building features stucco over brick and has a mansard slate roof with an iron verandah.

It stands two storeys high, with an attic beneath the mansard roof, and has two first-floor windows. The original windows are 6/6 sashes, with taller sashes on the first floor. The attic has a 1/1 sash window. A cornice runs along the top, topped by a parapet that features two urns. The ground floor has a glazed shop front.

The interior has not been inspected. There is a balustrade at the first floor, possibly designed by Marshalls, with a motif derived from LN Cottingham.

Historically, by 1845, this building was known as Wright's Theological Library, which was noted for its extensive collection of theological works and standard literature. The facade has remained unchanged from the first floor, while the ground floor features paired end Ionic columns and a central entrance with a fanlight, flanked by two round-arched windows. The Promenade was established in 1818 as a tree-lined avenue leading to the Sherborne Spa, and by 1826 it had become a carriage drive with spacious gravelled walks on either side. Originally lined with elegant houses, by 1845, much of the southeast side was occupied by professional or business establishments. Nos. 28, 30, and 32 together form a single commercial unit.