88, Promenade

No. 88 Promenade is a house that has been converted into a shop, dating from around 1820 to 1840. The conversion to a shop likely occurred before 1845, and the ground-floor shop front was updated in the late 20th century. The building features ashlar stonework over brick, with a concealed roof and iron balconies.

It stands four storeys high and has three first-floor windows, with a narrow step-back on the sides. The first floor displays 8/12 round-arched sash windows with radial glazing bars at the top, set in shallow recesses, and features tooled heads with imposts and corbel keystones. The second floor has 8/8 sash windows, all with plain reveals and sills. The building is topped with a crowning entablature, low parapet, and copings. The shop front is glazed with a central entrance, though it is not considered of special interest.

The first-floor balconies are supported by shaped rods. At the time of review, the ground floor functioned as a single commercial unit with No. 90.

Historically, the Promenade was established in 1818 as a tree-lined avenue leading from the Colonnade in the High Street to the Sherborne Spa, which is now the site of the Queen's Hotel. By 1826, it had become a carriage drive with spacious gravelled walks on either side. The northwest side was the first to be developed, and although it originally featured rows of elegant houses, by 1845, as noted by Rowe in his Cheltenham Guide, nearly the entire southeast side was occupied by professional or business establishments.