12104

15  

II*  

Designated  

12/10/1951  

30/11/2005  

NO.15 HIGH STREET (PREMISES OCCUPIED BY W.H. SMITH & SON),,,,,DYFED,  

15 High Street  

Pembrokeshire  

Haverfordwest  

Haverfordwest  

 

195273  

215580  

S  

On the S side of the High Street opposite its junction with Dark Street.  

Commercial  

 

Late C18 front to a building with late medieval to C16 core. There may have been a first floor medieval hall parallel to the street behind the present front range, with a smaller C15 or C16 wing uphill behind. The important fragments in this house are all boxed in or inaccessible. They include a fine carved C16 or early C17 fireplace on back wall of rear first floor room with Renaissance style decoration to panel over moulded fireplace, in egg-and-dart and beed-and-reel decorated surround. Above a long panel has four shields in elongated quatrefoils. The shields are supposed to relate to the Voyle or Owen families. There are two other early fireplaces, one dated 1614, one with a slight ogee point to chamfer of stone lintel. An exceptional stone-mullioned five-light window on the E wall, had chamfered mullions, but a timber transom, with a plain and possibly C19 Gothic-arched head above. There were also a door to the yard with a lintel that was part of a C17 panel partition and a C18 staircase with turned balusters, closed string and ramped rail. The present front is in line with Nos 11 and 13. The building was occupied by W. H. Smith & Sons, newsagents, through much of C20, by Ellis Jones, printer, in 1884, and by T.P. Reynolds, decorator and upholsterer slightly later.  

Terraced house, painted stucco with moulded eaves to slate roof. Three storeys, three-window range, with 12-pane hornless sashes to top floor and long 15-pane first floor sashes. Modern full-width shopfront in casing of green veined stone. Parallel rear range, three-storey, three-bay with thick-glazing-bar 12-pane stair light to right. Additional rear SW wing.  

Interior of shop to ground floor front and first floor rear wholly altered. Fireplace with carved arms is said to be behind wall to rear of rear first floor room. Access to the upper floors is via a through passage under No 13. Stairs are damaged, two flights with remnant of original turned balusters, moulded ramped handrails, and square newels. Closed string.  

Included at a higher grade as the late Georgian refronting of an important C15 to C16 town house, whose features are said to survive, though not visible at time of survey.