41 & 43, COLWYN ROAD

This is a pair of terrace houses with attached rear workshops, dating approximately from 1885. The buildings are constructed of red brick, with the front of number 43 whitewashed. They have slate roofs and brick ridge and side stacks. The houses have two storeys and a cellar to the front, three storeys to the sides and rear, with two-storey rear wings.

Each house presents a three-window range at the first floor, featuring a pair of 8/1 sashes to the left and a 4/1 sash to the right. The ground floor has three sashes arranged as a triple window grouping of 4/1:8/1:4/1, with an ornamental doorcase to the right containing a part-glazed door and overlight. Arched heads and hoodmoulds are present over the windows, with projecting keystones. A narrow doorway to the far right of number 43 leads to a passageway providing access to the rear workshop range. Skylights are visible on the roofs. The side elevation of number 41 features similar 8/1 sashes on three floors, and to the lower rear wing, mainly 8/8 sashes and two doorways. The rears of the houses have 8/8 sashes and iron-framed windows. The rear wings of both houses have iron-framed, factory-style windows on their inner sides. Number 43 incorporates a first-floor open pentice porch to the rear gable end, featuring windows and a part-glazed door. A further rear wing to number 41 has two 3/3 sashes to its inner side and two wide casements that extend across the whole rear gable end above a single-storey extension.

These represent particularly fine and little-altered examples of houses associated with rear workshops, relating to the boot and shoe industry. The houses are not depicted on the 1883 Ordnance Survey map, but the 1890 Kelly's Directory lists the occupants, and the 1899 Ordnance Survey map shows both the houses and the rear ranges. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the properties were largely occupied by boot closers or boot closed upper manufacturers.

REFERENCE: English Heritage Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Industry Report, 2000, pp.29-30, and Site Report No.76.