Summary
A terrace of two shops, early C19 and earlier, integrated to from restaurant at the ground floor. Altered in the C20
Reasons for Designation
27 and 29 Market Place, Ringwood are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* numbers 27 and 29 have distinctive external treatment, character and form of the C18 and C19, demonstrating the evolution of the Market Place during those centuries.
Group value:
* with many listed buildings in Ringwood’s historic townscape including 23, 25 25a and 31 on the south side of the Market Place and 16, 18 and 22 on the north side.
History
Ringwood is located close to the western edge of the New Forest on the banks of the River Avon. The Market Place is located at the western end of the town centre and is probably the site of the earliest market, established in 1226. On the north side is the parish Church of St Peter and Paul (1853, Grade II*) built on the site of an earlier church. Number 29 is part of a terrace of listed buildings on the south side of the Market Place, noted to be of C18 and C19 date.
27 and 29 Market Place were both listed in 1987. By that time, part of number 27 had been incorporated into the former Red Lion Public House (number 25) as the Micawber restaurant, and subsequently renumbered 25a. The former List entry for number 27 included elements that are now incorporated into number 29, described as ‘other bays …..projecting shop-front on ground floor with canted bay windows each side of a central glazed door. On the 1st floor 2 sashes with narrow edge panes. Moulded string cornice and parapet, set slightly lower to LH bay. 3 Hip-roofed dormers. Stack at each end, that to LH in front of ridge.’
In 1999, planning permission was granted for the ‘change of use of number 29 to form an extension to existing restaurant at 27, covered area at rear and formation of 1st floor to building at rear to form retail unit’ (reference 99/68260). While it is unclear whether the permission was implemented fully, a shared function between numbers 27 and 29, and a date when this occurred, is suggested.
Plans accompanying the application show that part of the interior was subdivided into two main spaces at the ground floor with accommodation on the first and attic floors. In 2022 the ground floors of 27-29 Market Place are fully opened to form a restaurant space.
Details
A terrace of two shops, early C19 and earlier, integrated to from a restaurant at the ground floor. Altered in the C20.
Materials: brick, the two bays to the east rendered with incised lines imitating ashlar and a plain clay-tile roof. The two bays to the west have over-painted brick elevations with a slate-covered roof.
Exterior: two storeys with attics. The eastern two bays have a projecting shop-front on the ground floor with canted bay windows each side of a central glazed door. On the 1st floor there are 2 sashes with narrow edge panes. Above is a string cornice and parapet and there are two hip-roofed dormers with six pane casement windows. The roof is pitched with an end stack to the west, and a stack in front of the ridge to the east.
To the rear is a one and half storey, angled wing with a moulded brick course at the eaves and a pitched clay tile roof surmounted by a lateral stack. The gable end is rendered with a six-over-six casement window.
The two bay range to the west has a C20 shop front of central half-glazed door and fanlight, with canted corbelled shop window to each side. On the first floor are two six-over-six sash windows with horns and a cornice band above. The mansard roof has 2 semi-circular shallow dormers with radiating glazing bars in the heads. The west gable wall has a brick end stack. To the rear is a 1½ storey long angled wing that runs behind number 31.
Interior: the ground floor is open-plan with modern fixtures, fittings and finishes. The exposed brick party wall to the west is cranked mid-way and comprises red brick laid in English garden wall bond.
