Summary : 8-11 SHEEP MARKET, SPALDING occupies a corner plot on the south-east side of the Sheep Market and is at the heart of historic Spalding. The early to mid 19th Century building is constructed of brick, rendered and painted, with slate roofs and brick chimneys. The tower attached to the south-east end is dated 1868, but appears to be of separate construction, while the initials G A F on the tower are likely to be those of George Flynn. In 1873 8-11 Sheep Market was sold to local business man J. T. White whose family still own the business. Previous buildings on the site are represented on the earliest street map of the town, dated 1732, and may relate to the Porta Maxima, the main gate to Spalding Priory, said to have been founded in 1051 as a cell of Crowland Abbey. The stone walls in the basement may be archaeologically significant in relation to the prior use of the site and make a considerable contribution to the local historic interest of the building. However, their date and original purpose have not yet been determined. The building is of considerable local historical importance for its long association with one prominent Spalding family, and for the survival of its original shop front, which makes a strong contribution to the historic core of Spalding, and to the conservation area.The building was assessed for listing in 2009 but failed to meet the required criteria. |
More information : CONTEXT English Heritage has been asked to assess Nos. 8-11 Sheep Market for listing. The cellar contains two substantial stone walls which the applicant believes may have formed part of the main gate to Spalding Priory. The building is in a conservation area. HISTORY The building is on the south-east side of the Sheep Market and is at the heart of historic Spalding. The earliest street map of the town, John Grundy's A Plan of the Town of Spalding in South Holland, dated 1732, shows buildings here, and identifies them as being on the site of the Porta Maxima, the main gate to Spalding Priory. The present building appears to date to the early to mid 19th Century. The tower attached to the south-east end is dated 1868, but appears to be of separate construction, while the initials G A F on the tower are likely to be those of George Flynn, who also owned Nos. 8-11 Sheep Market at the time of its purchase by John Thomas White in 1873. Although the first purpose-built department store in England (Bon Marché in Brixton, London) did not open until 1877, Whites seems to have functioned as a small version, selling a wide range of fancy and practical goods from hosiery through art needlework items to toys and cutlery, but White and Son also advertised themselves as General Warehousemen. J T White was an important local figure, and the business is still owned by the family. An early 20th Century photograph shows the shop front as it survives today, retailing similar goods, although Nos. 10-11 are now a separate shop. The priory of Spalding is said to have been founded in 1051 as a cell of Crowland Abbey, but soon after the Norman Conquest it passed to the Abbot of St. Nicholas, Angers, in France. In 1534 it was one of the richest monasteries in Lincolnshire. Data from the National Monument Record locates the main priory buildings to the south-east of Sheep Market, closer to the river, in the area of Vine Street, and an evaluation of Nos. 18-19 Bridge Street undertaken in advance of development of the site in 2000 found graves, walls and other features which were interpreted as being part of the medieval priory. DESCRIPTION The building occupies a corner plot and at present contains two shops, Whites and Yum Yums. A range extends eastwards to the rear of Whites to form the north side of a yard containing another shop, office and storage. This yard was originally open but is now roofed over; access is through a wide opening below the tower dated 1868, referred to above. The east side of the yard is formed by No. 2 Abbey Path. Nos. 8-11 Sheep Market is constructed of brick, rendered and painted, with slate roofs and brick chimneys. It appears as two buildings linked by a shop front; where it turns the corner to meet Abbey Path the roof line of Nos. 10-11 is lower than that of Nos. 8-9. The first floor windows are mainly sashes with either two or four panes, below which are late 19th Century or early 20th Century shop fronts. The two shop windows of Whites, which faces onto Sheep Market, are flanked by plain pilasters, each with two plate glass panes framed in wood with cambered arches. Immediately to the south, the corner has two bay windows with a door recessed between them. The bay to the south of Whites is the shop window of Yum Yums, but that to the right of the door has been boarded up, as have the remaining two shop windows to the south elevation, although the surrounds and fascia survive. In the yard to the rear is one original ground floor bay window with tripartite horned sashes under a projecting cornice. INTERIOR Behind the open shop floor of Whites the interior plan has been very much altered, and only one six panelled door survives. There is an enclosed winder stair with plain wooden hand rail and turned newel post on the landing. In the basement below the corner of the building are two massive stone walls. One is on the street line, beneath the north-west elevation, and the second is parallel, forming two walls of separate cellar space. A third wall constructed of concrete breeze blocks joins the stone walls at the north-east end, and whether or not they continue beyond that point is not known. The street front wall contains an opening filled with bricks, and seems to have traces of render or limewash adhering to it. Both walls are constructed in part from large blocks of stone. All the other cellar walls are brick. ASSESSMENT The Commercial Buildings Selection Guide (English Heritage, 2007) states that as with all structures erected after 1840, rigorous selection is necessary when considering this building type for listing, and adds that given the high rates of attrition, all those which retain claims to special architectural interest, irrespective of date, deserve careful consideration. Although Whites shop on Sheep Market has suffered little external alteration since the late 19th Century, it has little claim to special architectural interest. The date of the building is uncertain, but its appearance now is of a late 19th Century shop. Its display windows are not innovative in design, use traditional materials and are not embellished with high quality decoration. The original layout of the interior has been altered, as have the spaces behind the shop floor, and very little interior detail survives. The building is of considerable local historical importance for its long association with one prominent Spalding family, and for the survival of its original shop front, which makes a strong contribution to the historic core of Spalding, and to the conservation area; however, it is not of special historic or architectural interest in the national context, and does not meet the criteria for listing. The stone walls in the basement may be archaeologically significant and add considerably to the local historic interest of the building. However, their date and original purpose have not been determined, and they do not contribute sufficiently to the interest of the building as a whole to warrant its listing. Scheduling is also not appropriate in this case because of their insecure identification, their unknown extent, and because existing planning policy guidance relating to archaeology is the best means of ensuring their preservation either in situ or by record in the event of any future development affecting the site. (1)
|