59 Vale Street

Nos 57 and 59 Vale Street

An elegant pair of 3-storey, 2-bay Georgian houses of brown brick construction in Flemish bond, built on a high limestone rubble plinth. The pair shares a continuous slate roof hipped to the end wall of no.59, which is further distinguished by sandstone quoins. A large shared central chimney serves both properties.

The entrances to each house are positioned on the raised ground floor, accessed by long flights of stone steps. At no.57, the steps lead straight to the entrance, while at no.59 they approach from the side—the latter arrangement being a 19th-century alteration. Both entrances feature tall classical wooden doorcases with colonnettes supporting a cornice and surmounting open pediment. No.57 retains its original 6-panel door, while no.59 has a Victorian replacement with arched glazed lights to the top. Both houses preserve their decorative fanlights.

At no.57, the right-hand bay contains broad 16-pane unhorned, near-flush sashes on all floors, with the second-floor window noticeably shorter than those below. Above the entrance are 12-pane sashes, again squatter on the top floor. All windows have segmentally-arched heads. No.59 retains windows in a similar arrangement but reversed above the entrance. Its left-hand bay, however, contains a prominent 2-storey rectangular bay with tripartite windows set in sandstone surrounds with slab mullions. The windows feature broader central sections with 2-pane upper and single-pane lower lights, with plainer sections either side. This bay is surmounted by an iron balustrade on its flat roof. The corresponding second-floor window is a 12-pane casement.

Between the two houses lies a wide basement entrance with a sandstone segmental arch and associated label, fitted with boarded doors.

The interior was not inspected during survey.