170 Main Street Including Boundary Wall To Rear And Gatepiers

This is a traditional two-storey, three-bay house, likely dating to around 1780. It is probable that it began as a single-story cottage, which was later raised and altered in the 19th century. The house has good streetscape value and, unusually, its main facade faces the rear garden rather than the street, as is characteristic of properties in the area.

The northeast-facing street elevation is near-symmetrical, with a prominent, large, corbelled oriel window on the first floor, similar to that found at 192 Main Street, Murdiston House (listed separately). This oriel window was likely added during the house’s enlargement to provide light and views to a first-floor drawing room. The house sits slightly below the present street level. The southeast gable is blank, leading to a driveway at the rear, while the northwest gable is attached to the adjacent properties at 166 and 168 Main Street.

The principal entrance is located on the rear, southwest-facing elevation and is symmetrically arranged. A gabled porch at ground level, shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map, has been modernized. Windows on the first floor of both the street and garden elevations are set at eaves level.

The interior retains some 19th-century features, including timber panelled doors, working shutters, cast iron stair balusters, and cornice work in some rooms.

The exterior is mainly constructed of random rubble 'pudding stone' with a lined cement finish to the street and southeast gable, which creates the appearance of squared, coursed stone. The garden elevation is rendered and painted. Windows have raised margins, and the eastern street arris is also raised. Most windows are late 20th-century replacements, featuring multi-paned timber sash and case windows. The roof is pitched grey slate with simple timber bargeboarding on the southeast gable. There are small, rebuilt brick gable apex stacks to the southeast, with a single can, and a larger, rendered gable apex stack to the northwest.

The rear garden is enclosed by a stone rubble wall with coping stones along all three sides, and square-plan rubble gatepiers provide access.