23, Silver Street

23 Silver Street is a shop, originally a house, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century. A rear addition was built in the late 19th century and substantially rebuilt during the 1930s. The special architectural interest is confined to the frontage on Silver Street; the rest of the building, including the rear range, is not of particular architectural or historical significance.

The building is constructed of stucco, with limestone rubble to the west return. It has a pantile roof, stepped stone coping, and brick stacks to the gable ends. The plan is rectangular, with a single-depth range facing the road, extended to the rear with a workshop range built in the late 19th century. This rear range was partially rebuilt and converted to a cinema in 1931, later becoming a furniture department for R A Dyer at No 21 Silver Street.

The symmetrical two-storey frontage to Silver Street has two bays. The first floor features revealed sash windows with retained glazing bars. The ground floor has a 20th-century shopfront with a central pair of glazed doors. The fascia has a moulded cornice displaying the name "SWEET SURPRISE."

The interior behind the facade has been remodelled several times, notably during the cinema conversion when a projection room was added on the first floor. The large, substantially mid-20th century rear addition served as the cinema auditorium and later as Dyer’s furniture department. It features a coved ceiling and wooden floor, and is unremarkable.

The draper's shop, initially established by R P Wheadon in 1870, began with a small 180-square-foot space, expanding significantly by its Golden Jubilee in the 1920s. In 1937, R A Dyer purchased the drapery business and the adjoining house (Nos 19-21). A neighbouring property, No 23 Silver Street, was acquired in 1961 and incorporated into the shop, serving as the furniture department. The property was sold in the early 21st century and is now separately occupied.

23 Silver Street is designated at Grade II for its early 19th-century architecture, including its proportions, sash windows, and shop front. It also holds historical significance as a record of the expansion of R A Dyer and contributes to the strong group of listed buildings in the center of Ilminster.