57, Barton Street

No. 57 Barton Street is a house that includes a shop and offices, dating from the mid to late 16th century for the front range, with a 17th-century back wing and remnants of a courtyard range that were restructured in the mid-19th century. The building features close-studded timber-framing, plaster panels, Flemish bond brickwork, a tile roof, and brick stacks.

The layout consists of a complex of buildings surrounding a small courtyard. The 16th-century front range is a two-bay structure set at a right angle to the street, with a gable facing the road. It was extended to the rear in the 17th century, featuring a 17th-century brick ridge stack between the two parts. There is also a return block at the end of the courtyard, which is accessed through a wide carriage arch in the brick frontage to the right of the early building.

The exterior of the gabled 16th-century building displays close-stud framing at the front and large square panels on the party walls. It is two storeys high with an attic and has a single window. Above a large 20th-century multi-pane bow window on the first floor, there is a small early two-light casement in the gable. The 19th-century pilaster shop front features consoles and a central glazed door. A scalloped barge-board is present, though its date is uncertain. The left side of the building has two small single lights on the first floor, while the rear gable includes a 17th-century brick stack.

To the right, there is a shallow building with a high brick parapet over a large six-pane sash window (originally twelve-pane) and a wide pair of plank doors beneath a segmental arch. Inside the courtyard, a short flight of steps leads to a rear entry for the offices. The buildings surrounding the yard retain some 17th-century features but have been largely restructured.

Inside, the first floor has a longitudinal central beam, exposed framing on the walls, and two 19th-century two-panel doors. There is a 20th-century fireplace, and a winder stair with a straight bottom flight features a painted 18th-century balustrade with a moulded handrail and turned balusters leading to a square newel, likely brought from another location. The upper room at the back has an exposed high collar with struts, but most roof timbers, except for a single rough purlin, are concealed.