Nos 7 and 9 Including Long Row of Cottages to Rear Known As Marchants Buildings

Nos 7 and 9, including the long row of cottages to the rear known as Marchant's Buildings, are located on Northload Street and date from probably the mid-19th century, with some earlier elements at the rear. The main building is two storeys high, constructed of red brick with a pantile roof. It features four windows with stepped ashlar voussoirs and sash windows with glazing bars. The central entrance on the ground floor is round-headed, also with ashlar voussoirs and a keystone. There is a modern shop front to the left, and a doorway with stepped voussoirs. To the right, there is an original shop window with a fascia supported by paired curved brackets and pilasters. At the rear, a through passage leads to a long row of cottages that are two storeys high but lower in elevation than the street front. These cottages are also made of red brick and have a continuous pantile roof. Most of them feature two small first-floor casements with glazing bars, one door, and one window (with a variety of sashes and casements) on the ground floor, all with segmental brick heads. Nos 5 to 9 (odd) and Marchant's Buildings form a group.