Mitre Chequer

Mitre Chequer

For location of monuments (118–125), see plan, p. 95.

(118) House, No.1 High Street, of three storeys with brick walls and slate-covered roofs, probably dates from the third quarter of the 18th century. In the W. front the storeys are defined by plat-bands and there is a heavy stone cornice with modillions. Each upper storey has two plain sashed windows with keystones; below is a modern shop window. The interior has been modernised. Old photographs show that No. 3, formerly adjacent on the S. but demolished c. 1920, had a four-bay facade uniform and continuous with that of No. 1, (fn. 1) an advertisement of 1770 for a 'large new-built house' is likely to refer to No. 3. (fn. 2)

Another photograph (Plate 15) shows the demolition, c. 1930, of a mediaeval house at the N.W. corner of the chequer. (fn. 3) It was three-storeyed and had scissor-braced timber framework with jetties to N. and W.

(119) House, No. 61 Silver Street, recently demolished, was of four storeys with timber-framed walls and tiled roofs; it probably was of the late 16th century. The gabled N. front was jettied at the second floor and had one sashed window in each upper storey; the ground floor had a modern shop window. Inside, chamfered beams and posts were exposed. The three-bay roof had tie-beam trusses with queen-struts and windbracing. The tie-beams were braced to the uprights of the fourth storey.

(120) Shop, No. 53 Silver Street, and Warehouse extending S. to New Canal, are of three storeys with brick walls and slate-covered roofs and were built early in the 19th century. The front to Silver Street has four bays of plain sashed windows in the upper storeys and modern shop windows below. The S. front is of eleven bays, mostly with windows with small-paned cast-iron casements, but the centre bay has doorways in each storey served by a hoist with a wrought-iron crane.

(121) House and Shop, No. 21 Silver Street, of four storeys with brick walls and slate-covered roofs, is of the mid 19th century. Above a modern shop front the N. elevation has three plain sashed windows in each storey, and a moulded stone cornice.

(122) House, No. 41 Silver Street, of three storeys with brick walls and a slate-covered roof, is of the late 18th century. The two-bay N. front has a modern shop window in the ground storey and sashed windows with triple keystones in the upper storeys. Above is a moulded stone cornice and a brick parapet. Inside, plain 18th-century stairs are preserved above first-floor level.

(123) House and Shop, No. 39 Silver Street, of three storeys with brick walls and a slate-covered roof, is of the 18th century. The four-bay N. front has a modern shop window in the ground storey and plain sashed windows in both upper storeys. Above is a moulded timber cornice with dentils, and a parapet. Inside, the upper storeys retain original joinery of good quality. As the lowest step and curtail of the main staircase is at first-floor level it appears that the ground floor was designed to be a shop.

(124) House, now incorporated with and enclosed on three sides by a modern shop, is of three storeys with an attic and has brick walls and a tiled roof. It is of the 17th century. The E. front, rebuilt in the 18th century, has three sashed windows in each upper storey and a moulded brick string-course and cornice. Inside, the third storey has chamfered ceiling beams with shaped stops. The stairs from this storey to the attic have a closed string, stout square newel posts, a moulded handrail and shaped splats in lieu of balusters.

(125) Cottage, No. 18 New Canal, formerly concealed by modern walls but discovered during demolition, was of two storeys with timber-framed walls and a tiled roof ridged E.—W.; it was of the 14th or 15th century. The first floor was jettied on the S. and a roll-moulded bracket projected from the S.E. corner post of the lower storey.