Victoria House (now N.F.U. Mutual Office)

Victoria House, now the N.F.U. Mutual Office, was likely built as a single dwelling around 1840, with a shop front added around 1900. It served as the premises of David Gittins, a draper, from 1914.

The building is a three-storey structure with cellars and a two-window range. It features slate roof coverings and red brickwork in Flemish bond, built on a stone plinth. The second storey has two tripartite cast iron windows just below the eaves, with each section containing six panes, and the central light is operable. The windows are fitted with quadrant stays. The first storey also has two tripartite cast iron windows, which are situated under flat arch lintels with tumbled brickwork. Each of these windows has ten panes, with the lowest six panes of the central section forming the opening light. The ground floor has one window at the northern end, similar to those on the first storey, and features wooden sills, some of which have lead flashing. Most windows retain early 19th-century glass. The shop front occupies the ground floor on the southern side of the house and includes a separate doorway leading to the dwelling above. It is topped by an entablature with a dentilled frieze, supported by two pilasters adorned with flower bosses. The north pilaster features a carved bracket with a sculpted head of a classical deity, possibly Mercury, wearing a winged helmet, and a panelled reveal for the doorway of the northern house. The original door has four panels and an overpanel, while the shop front is simply glazed with a modern glazed door.

The interior was not accessible at the time of inspection. Victoria House is listed as a relatively unaltered townhouse from around 1840, notable for its fine shop front from around 1900 and its contribution to the townscape.