99-101 Westgate Street, Folk of Gloucester

A pair of 16th-century Tudor merchant's houses, originally with shops at ground floor and domestic and commercial workshop accommodation above. Now, as of 2024, a community heritage project called the Folk of Gloucester.

Construction and Materials

The buildings are of timber-framed construction. Some surviving oak staves woven with laths, daubed with red clay and straw, remain visible in the interior. The exteriors are part rendered with some brick infill under plain tile roofs. Brick additions at the rear have pantile roof tiles and two brick stacks.

Plan

Originally two buildings, now interconnected.

Number 99 is a two-bay, three-storeyed single range, originally cross-gabled, with a return rear wing of four bays running north to south. The first bay to the east includes a through passage.

Number 101 is a two-bay, three-storeyed single range, originally cross-gabled, with a 17th-century rear wing linking to later ancillary buildings behind.

Exterior

Three timber-framed bays rise over three storeys, each with a projecting jetty facing onto Westgate Street. Two bays form number 99 and one bay forms number 101.

The entire ground floor consists of 20th-century shop fronts with Tudor-style arched heads and glazing bars. Doorways have been incorporated into the windows in the second and third bays, creating access to the two buildings. The street frontage has a continuous bressumer supported by storey posts. Five of the original six storey posts survive: two as slender carved colonnettes supporting knee braces, and the fifth is a 20th-century insertion. The posts either side of the eastern passage are carved with stopped jamb mouldings. The entrance to the passage is infilled by two 20th-century two-panel doors, and above is a panel with turned balusters.

At first-floor level the treatment of each building differs. Number 99 is framed with intermediate rails and close studding and has two three-light oriel windows with single side-light casements. The remains of finely moulded glazing bars survive in this wall, evidence that the building had a continuous run of casements across the front elevation during the 16th century. The moulded bressumer to the first-floor jetty and the moulded intermediate rail break forward across the fronts of the oriels, each of which has moulded corner posts and moulded cornices below the second-floor jetty. The casement openings to either side of the oriels are infilled and have rectangular leadlight glazing. Number 101 is rendered between the storey posts and has two inserted three-over-three sashes with glazing bars. A central rectangular stucco panel with a moulded frame between the sashes is inscribed "BISHOP HOOPER'S LODGING".

The second storey has close studding between storey posts supported by a deep-moulded bressumer across the whole length of the building. Slender shafts under knee brackets from the earlier jettied attic survive, but the attic is now replaced with an 18th-century moulded cornice. Number 99 has two 20th-century three-over-three sash windows and number 101 has two 19th-century three-over-two sash windows. Above are three half-hipped gablets with a brick chimney stack to the right.

The left return of number 99, beyond the eastern passage, is of four timber-framed bays with storey-posts rising to a jetty at second floor. Ground, first and second floors have close studding and intermediate rails with some evidence of original door and window positions. Several of these are inserted 18th-century sash windows. To the rear, a 20th-century lean-to projection creates internal access to the former pin factory annex and courtyard beyond.

The rear elevations of both buildings are plain rendered with pitched roofs and casement windows. At ground floor a 20th-century projecting red brick corridor with continuous glazing runs into a late 20th-century extension with arched double doorway and two arched window openings. This now, as of 2024, houses a café.

Interior

Number 99

The front range of 99 Westgate Street has a single room at ground floor, with exposed cross beams with deep V-shaped chamfers resting on jowled main posts. The partition to the rear has been partially opened to create access to the rear wing.

The rear wing has two rooms, most likely originally three. All have exposed timber-framing and cross beams with ovolo mouldings and stepped square stops supported on square upright posts with kneeler braces. Some beams retain the remains of a 16th-century red concentric circle paint scheme. The first room has an inserted 20th-century oak staircase. Empty mortice holes provide evidence of the earlier smaller staircase. A timber-framed partition with brick infill and an inglenook fireplace with a large plain timber lintel divides the first and second room. This fireplace has a later 19th-century fire surround, and an earlier grate can be seen behind. The rear room has a 19th-century fireplace surrounded by 19th-century vertical boarding. The east and west walls are timber-framed and retain late 16th-century moresque design wall paintings. The design is of stars and crosses: the crosses containing moresque Islamic-inspired designs, while the stars are filled with fleur-de-lys and Tudor roses.

The front range at first floor has two principal rooms with exposed timber framing and deep chamfered ceiling beams. The next two rooms have had partitions removed but retain plain chamfered ceiling beams with broach stops. The 20th-century staircase is in the north-west corner. A large expanse of black and white 16th-century grotesque wall paintings survive on infill panels, including a central candelabrum flanked by symmetrical foliage and beast with dragon heads and the figure of a musician playing a hooked harp. The next room has simpler plain framing with an exposed dragon beam and a later inserted Cotswold stone fireplace with chamfered edges and brick stack with relieving arch above.

The front range of the second floor has been divided into two rooms with exposed timber-framing to the outer walls and a painted brick central partition. A reused timber-framed wall divides the front and rear range. The rear range has had all partitions removed and is one double-height space with staircase in the north-west corner. A 17th-century annealing forge has been inserted. The floor is laid in wide oak boards following the angled pattern created by the dragon beam below. A 20th-century inserted doorway in the south-eastern corner provides access to the former pin factory annex. The roof has A-frame trusses with occasional braces and has had several dormer windows inserted. Its construction is exposed to the ridge. Joists remain in places, suggesting it was once ceiled in some areas.

Number 101

The front range of 101 Westgate Street has a single room at ground-floor level with exposed timber framing. The placement and moulding of the ceiling beams indicate that this bay once had a through passage running along the dividing wall between 101 and 99. The ceiling beam running east to west has a deep chamfer, while the beam running north to south is plain.

The 17th-century rear range has had all partitions removed at ground-floor level. Evidence survives in the exposed timber frame that this space was originally of three bays. The western wall retains evidence of earlier openings and a back-to-back fireplace remains, although now fragmented by the loss of the rest of the partition it would have sat within. A well, discovered during the 2022 restoration works, is visible under glass towards the rear and a 21st-century disabled lift and stepped access have been introduced. A 20th-century brick extension beyond leads into the 20th-century former dairy, now café, which has exposed brickwork and an exposed triangular truss roof structure.

At first floor, the front range retains one principal room with exposed timber framing and an enclosed 19th-century stair in the south-eastern corner. In the rear range all partitions have been removed. Several plain chamfered cross beams survive with 19th-century upright posts. A doorway in the north-eastern corner provides access to number 99.

At second floor the front range has exposed close studding to the front wall and an enclosed 19th-century staircase. The rear range has exposed timber-framing and ovolo-moulded ceiling beams supported by half-timber uprights with kneeler braces. There are 19th-century plain chamfered uprights at the midpoint.

Cellars across all three bays in the front range are stone walled. Number 99 has a cellar under the first bay. Number 101 has a cellar with dividing wall where the original passageway would have been. Both are accessed by stone steps from within the rear range.