Number 9 Including Yard Wall

Number 9 Church Street, Tewkesbury, is a house in row with a shop, dating from the 14th or early 15th century. It underwent important restoration work by Thomas Collins in the late 19th century and received a 19th-century shop front. The building is constructed of timber-frame stud work with rails and braced box framing, beneath a tile roof.

The plan consists of a cross-gabled block with a transverse roof-slope brought down to the eaves on either side of a broad single gable facing the street. A 2-room plan extends over Lilley's Alley to the right, with a double jetty, though the ground-floor shop front has been brought forward under a tiled pent roof.

The exterior presents three storeys and a basement. Within the gable is a large 3-light casement with leading in a surround with stopped chamfers to each of the lights. Below the jetty runs a continuous sequence of eight small 2-light casements with leading, set into the studding behind a screen of ogee-headed openings, each with a central slender wood colonnette. This screen appears to be largely Collins' restoration work, executed presumably following the original detail. The ground floor features a plate-glass shop front with a deep recessed central glazed door beneath a transom-light, all situated under the pent roof which also embraces the entry to Lilley's Alley, with paired pilasters to the opening. The basement lights have been covered in. In the alley, the partition to the left consists of square panel light framing with brick fill, and beyond lies an enclosing yard wall, with the framed wall of the main block visible behind it.

The interior has been considerably altered on the ground floor to create a continuous shop area, though a heavy post with bracket remains at the front, marking the position of the original first-floor jetty. A flight of brick steps provides access to the basement, which has a brick floor and a heavy chamfered central beam. Within the wall facing the street are stone rebated and chamfered jambs without a head, forming a former doorway—a detail repeated in the adjacent No. 10, suggesting a common building date. A tight wooden spiral stair rises to the first floor, where the front parlour, which formerly extended the full width of the front above the alley, has been subdivided to include a small kitchen with 19th-century panelling and an 18th-century plank door with early hinges. The parlour displays heavy tension bracing to the party wall, while the back room contains two transverse beams and square panel braced frame walls. There is no evidence of original fireplaces. The spiral stair to the attics has an 18th-century panelled door, and there is a second very steep stair with turned balusters and newel. The front room adjoining No. 8 features a chamfered wind-brace and a pegged purlin which has been modified to allow access to the window, together with a central propped beam. The back room, with very steep ceiling slopes, contains a pair of braced principals and a heavy chamfered purlin. Some remnants of lath-and-plaster walling remain.

The building forms part of a group of early timber-framed buildings at the east end of Church Street, including No. 8 (the Berkeley Arms) and Nos. 10, 15, and 16, all of which retain important elements of their original structure. The facade is particularly notable for its row of ogee-headed window openings, some of which are original examples of early Gothic type, representing a most significant survival. Thomas Collins, described in the Victoria County History as Tewkesbury's "first important conservator," was responsible for the late 19th-century restoration of the building.