19, West Market Place

The property at 19 West Market Place is an early to mid-18th century shop, one of three buildings at that address. It is constructed of well-squared and coursed limestone with a slate roof and a brick stack. The building has a slightly irregular footprint, narrowing towards the rear.

The building is two storeys and has an attic. The ground floor features a shop front dating from the early to mid-20th century, designed in a 19th-century style. The first floor has two early to mid-18th century sash windows, each containing six-over-six panes, set within segmental-headed reveals with moulded stone sills and keyed lintels. A band course sits on the keystones, extending upwards to the eaves. Rusticated quoins are visible to the left of the first floor. There are two gabled dormers in the attic, with 20th-century timber casements.

The history of the three buildings that make up 19 West Market Place reveals distinct periods of construction: the westernmost building dates to the late 18th or early 19th century; the central building to the early to mid-18th century; and the easternmost building appears to date from the later 19th century, at least in its facade. Ordnance Survey maps from 1876 show two separate properties, with the later 19th-century building occupying one unit and the remaining two units occupying the other. By 1902, all three buildings were shown as a single property, suggesting they were likely under the same ownership and usage at that time, a designation confirmed by maps from 1921 and 1932. Commercial premises have occupied the ground and first floors since at least the middle of the 20th century, and retail use continued at the time of inspection in 2008.

The portion of 19 West Market Place occupied by The Coln Gallery is designated at Grade II for its architectural interest. The upper floors retain their original windows and display good quality architectural detail. The shop front, while 20th-century, is sympathetic to the overall building. The plan form appears largely unaltered, and the building retains showroom space on the first floor. It also possesses group value alongside the many other listed buildings in the surrounding West Market Place and Blackjack Street. The other two buildings comprising the remainder of 19 West Market Place are excluded from this listing due to their lack of special interest.