| Description | 138 146 Westgate, Wakefield. Originally two houses of the late 18th to early 19th century.
'Late C18 or early C19. Large composition, two houses originally. 3 storeys and sunk basement seven bays. Red brick with stone fluted frieze and modillioned eaves cornice below low pitched hipped roof of stone slates. Stone ground floor band and cill band. Gauged flat brick arches, with fluted triple keystones and stone cills to sash windows with glazing bars, half length on 2nd floor. Centre windows and carriage arch in full height round arched recess. At left, later door with oblong fanlight well recessed up five steps. Two late C19 shops inserted at right. Original entrances at either side within carriageway: 6 panel doors in plain reveals. 9 bay rear elevation has till, round headed staircase windows in 3rd and 7th bays'.
(English Heritage listed building description. Date listed 14/07/1953. http://list.english heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1258961. Web site accessed 10/12/2013).
143 145 Westgate were the subject of an archaeological assessment by Colum Giles in 1978 as part of the WYAS/RCHME Rural Houses Survey. The sketch plan and photographic images produced by the assessment are held by WYAAS (Giles, C. (WYAS/RCHME). 1978). The field work report is transcribed below:
'This is a brick house of the late 18th century. It is of three storeys and faces north onto Westgate. On plan the house has a main block to the north, with a narrower rear range running back from it. The north front has a bracketed eaves cornice and square headed windows with raised fluted keystones. It has two doors at present, but these date from a 19th century subdivision of the house. That this subdivision occurred at an early date is demonstrated by the 60' survey of Wakefield, dated 1848, which shows the block already divided into two dwellings.
The original door was probably at the north east corner, leading into a passage running through to the rear. This passage connects with the stairs hall. The stairs survives and is in its original position, lit by a stair window in the rear wall. The stair has shaped cheeks, slender square balusters, turned newels, and a slender handrail. The rest of the arrangement of the ground floor is a matter of speculation. It is possible that a single room occupied the whole of the rest of the main block, heated by a stack on the west wall, but it is more likely that the main room occupied only the northern area, leaving room for a small room opposite the stair. The present partitions are of flimsy construction except that which screens off the passage: this is of brick. The rear range is now featureless, but must have provided kitchens and other service rooms.
The main stair rises only to first floor level. Here the front block was occupied by a single four bay room. There are two stacks now on the first floor: it is probable that the eastern stack was added on subdivision. A service stair leads up from the rear range, giving access to the second floor of the front block.
The restricted frontage of the house, then, allowed only a single room on each of the two lower floors. It is likely that the ground floor was used for reception and/or dining, with the first floor being the principal living or withdrawing room. The second floor was inaccessible, but it is possible the main bedrooms were housed here. Service rooms and lesser bedrooms must have been located in the rear range, which on the 1848 plan was much more extensive than in recent years'.
(Giles, C. (WYAS/RCHME). 1978. 'Nos 143 5, Westgate, Wakefield'). |