Nos 14-28 (consec) Lower Row

This is a terrace of early 19th century ironworkers’ houses, numbered 14 to 28, which continues the numbering from the adjacent Middle Row. The terrace is composed of two- and three-storey buildings, with the outer bays and a central three-storey bay projecting, interspersed with recessed bays. Specifically, numbers 14 and 15, the central bay (numbers 20, 21, 21a, and 22), and numbers 27 and 28 project, replicating the design of the terrace on the opposite side of the street. Lean-tos are located at each end of the terrace. Most houses have a single window range and a front door; the central houses are arranged in pairs, sharing a three-window range (with the central windows blocked) and each pair having its own front doors. While the overall plan is nearly symmetrical across all three terraces, it’s not perfectly so.

The houses are constructed of roughly coursed stone rubble with shallow-pitched hipped roofs covered in stone slates. The central range has a separate, hipped roof, and there are substantial ridge stacks, mostly shared between properties. The windows are horned sash windows, mostly without glazing bars, with the exception of the museum at numbers 26 and 27, which feature iron-framed windows with small panes and a top-hung casement. Yellow brick sills are present on all windows. The boarded front doors are mostly recessed, incorporating a glazed panel. The window and door openings have slightly cambered heads, some with visible iron lintels, rough voussoirs, and surrounds.

The layout proceeds as follows from the northeast (left): numbers 14 and 15 project with a door to the left and one stack; numbers 16, 17, 18, and 19 are recessed, with number 16 having a door to the left and numbers 17, 18, and 19 having doors to the right, and three stacks. Numbers 20, 21, 21a, and 22 form the prominent three-storey central block, with two stacks. Numbers 23, 24, 25, and 26 are recessed; numbers 23 and 24 have doors to the left, while numbers 25 and 26 have doors to the right, and three stacks. Numbers 27 and 28 project, with number 27 having a door to the right and number 28 having a door incorporated into a brick lean-to, creating a double-fronted appearance. Numbers 26 and 27 have been converted into a museum, painstakingly recreating the original appearance of the buildings with iron-framed windows and boarded doors.

At the rear, Lower Row uniquely incorporates an additional lower storey, accessed from a rear doorway at ground level, which originally functioned as a separate cellar dwelling. The main houses are accessed via higher doorways, reached by a steep shared flight of stone and brick steps, which include a store beneath. Later extensions are present. The original interior layout consisted of two rooms on each floor, with double depths, each featuring a fireplace and a spiral staircase.