36 Boroughgate

House, mid-17th century with 19th and 20th century alterations, situated on the north side of the main medieval thoroughfare which slopes gently down to the north.

The building is constructed of regularly coursed and squared buff and red sandstone blocks on the main elevation, with coursed rubble to the rear. It has a Westmorland slate roof in diminishing courses with stone slate edging.

The main east elevation presents three storeys plus a partial basement across two bays. A chamfered plinth runs at ground level, with a single barred basement window. The off-centre 17th-century entrance has moulded jambs and a battlemented lintel decorated with two flower motifs. The entrance is fitted with a plank door and has a tethering ring to its right side associated with an area of worn stonework. On either side of the entrance are rectangular windows with 20th-century horned sashes in tooled monolithic red sandstone surrounds, the left window retaining bars. Similar but smaller windows appear on the first and second floors, with first-floor lintels carrying the upper storey sills. This fenestration dates from the 19th century, but the elevation contains numerous blocked 17th-century windows: two two-light mullioned windows to the upper floor and three blocked three-light windows to the first floor. A blocked fire window lighting an inglenook sits immediately to the left of the main entrance, with a further blocked 17th-century window further left. The rear elevation has two storeys and three bays of rubble sandstone construction. All window and door openings are recent insertions in modern surrounds, though some retain earlier relieving arches or stone lintels above.

The building follows a cross-passage plan with a rear rectangular range comprising a stair hall and service rooms. The main entrance enters the cross-passage, which opens to the room to the right. This room has a chamfered ceiling beam and a small stone chimney piece, with a blocked opening to its north wall. The opposing cross-passage entrance pierces the original rear wall and has a cambered head supported on an internal timber lintel and external stone lintel, fitted with a plank and batten door. An opening at the western end of the cross passage gives access to a short heck passage opening into the main living room through a four-panel door, with the staircase accessed to the right. The living room has a single chamfered ceiling beam, a blocked opening and pantry to its west wall, and a large inglenook to the north wall retaining a bressumer beam which terminates at an area of panelling, possibly preserving the original heck post. The chimney piece, of later 17th or early 18th century date, has an inserted 19th-century cast-iron range.

The ground floor of the rear range is accessed by an extension to the cross passage. The room to the right has a wide-boarded door with upper ventilation holes and a stone-flagged floor, with a blocked stone moulded chimney piece to its north wall and to its left a moulded round-headed niche with a substantial stone lintel, thought to be a former bread oven. The room to the left has a blocked chamfered sandstone mullion window with timber lintel and stone sill in the south wall. Very worn stone steps lead down to a small cellar with shelving niches running back beneath the parlour.

A plain straight-flight stair rises from a full-height rear stair hall. A section of original balustrade with chunky stick balusters remains to the first floor rear L-shaped landing, which separates two rooms occupying the first floor of the rear range, one retaining a stone fire surround. A wide opening through the original rear wall leads into the original front range, partitioned into two rooms with ceiling beams and re-used panelled doors, some of 17th-century date. One partition incorporates an un-plastered section of wattle and daub panel. A small timber chimney piece occupies one of these rooms. A cupboard with a re-used seven-panel door retains a timber-framed panel of lath and plaster. A seven-panel door contains an enclosed straight stair flight rising to the second floor of the front range, partitioned into two rooms also with re-used early doors.

The original roof structure is retained and clearly visible within these spaces: it comprises three raised and pegged cruck trusses with collars (one missing) and double side purlins. Two of the crucks display clear assembly marks in sequence; the third does not. Where visible, the apex of the crucks are tennoned into a ridge purlin. At the north end immediately in front of the stone gable party wall stands a short crown post supporting the end of the ridge purlin, crudely formed and spliced into the gable end of the ridge piece.

To the front of the house stands a low stone wall with double chamfered coping and replacement railings with a quoined central opening, partially rebuilt to the left side in the early 21st century.