house

Terraced two-bay four-storey house, built c.1740, one-bay to top floor, with recent timber shopfront. Now in use as retail outlet with residence above. Built as pair with No. 157, with facade rebuilt, c.1870, and recent shopfront. Triple-pile hipped slate roof behind rebuilt red brick parapet wall with squared granite coping. Yellow brick chimneystack with clay pots to shared party wall. Flemish bond red brick walls with corbelled eaves course in moulded brick and polychrome brick platbands to upper storeys at window head levels. Wrought-iron bracing plates to upper storeys. Front (south) elevation rebuilt, c.1870, and unified with No. 157. Painted advertisement to facade includes 'Restaurant' and 'Watches Rings Furniture Radios'. Gauged polychromatic brick flat-arched window openings with brick reveals and granite sills. Single window opening to third storey set centrally. Replacement uPVC windows throughout.

This pleasant townhouse is an integral component of an interesting historic terrace which was laid out in the early eighteenth century as part of the prolific development of the Gardiner Estate. It maintains an early appearance and is probably one of the oldest surviving buildings in this vicinity. The pleasantly executed facade is of a similar form to its neighbour No. 157, with a mirrored fenestration pattern and decorative brickwork. The scale and form of this and the surrounding buildings make a notable and positive contribution to the streetscape.