Site Event/Activity record ECH6766 - 50 King Street, Knutsford, Cheshire: Heritage Statement

In 2019, a heritage statement was prepared for 50 King Street, Knutsford, to assess proposals for a rear extension and internal and external alterations. 50 King Street is a Grade II listed building. The assessment is a revised version of an earlier assessment undertaken in 2018, which includes a photographic record of the building. King Street, Princess Street and Minshull Street comprise most of the historic core of the settlement, with a basically medieval street plan. It is notable for its narrow winding streets; the closely packed urban form; the narrow yards and alleys which connect the two principal streets; the variety of its 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, most of which are listed; the use of timber-framing and brick; and the views from King Street towards The Moor. The buildings are generally domestic in scale, just two or sometimes three storeys high, and in King Street, Princess Street and Drury Lane they form continuous terraces utilising varied styles, materials and details. The highest concentration of early buildings is in King Street, which contains sixteen examples of 16th or 17th century buildings, all of them timber-framed although somewhat altered. Many early (usually 17th century) buildings have been re-fronted or remodelled in the 19th or 20th centuries. The earliest building is possibly 48 King Street, adjacent to Number 50. Number 50 King Street has been considerably altered over the centuries; particularly in the mid to late C20th. Alterations include the addition of what were described as windows (as opposed to shop windows) to the King Street offices elevation in 1983; a single storey extension and conversion and alterations to the upper floors to form a maisonette in 1984; and conversion of storage areas and further extensions to the offices also in 1984. Internally the elevations are also much altered with the ground floor having been partly clad in an in a brick skin and large sections opened up involving removal of original doorways. Most walls to all floors have been dry lined with plasterboard. There is limited visible evidence of the building’s age and construction, although several original rough sawn timber beams are present in the upper floors and stairwell. Chamfered chimney breasts are located at a 45-degree angle on the internal corners of the flank wall rooms, however all fire places have been plaster-boarded in. The cellar, which is now prone to flooding, is accessed by a flight of well-worn sandstone stairs. At the time of survey, in 2018, the building is considered to be in a relatively poor state of maintenance and repair and requires attention to a number of areas which are causing physical deterioration, including slipped tiles; both chimney stacks in need of repair and repointing; blocked and leaking guttering; rotting upper floors window cills, and inappropriate, hard Portland cement, re-pointing to parts of the side and rear elevations. (1)