Nos. 24 and 26 Queen Street

III.—Nos. 24 and 26 QUEEN STREET

These two cottages have the appearance of having been originally one house, and date from the latter part of the 17th century. They are built of finely toned brickwork, and have a long tiled roof ending in gables. The windows retain their old sashes with heavy moulded sash-bars, and in the eastern gable on the first floor is a boldly projecting bay-window with canted sides in timber. The eastern wall continues northwards over a small shop.

The building, which adjoins the churchyard, is supposed to have been intended as the residence of the curates of St. Paul's Chapel, now the parish church, but no evidence has been discovered in support of this supposition, and it is known that several of the incumbents lived elsewhere, notably Dr. Michael Hutchinson and the Rev. T. S. Atwood. The cottages are still very picturesque, with the ample foliage which surrounds them, but before the destruction of the old church they had still greater beauty in being part of a most effective group. This is well shown in the water-colour drawing in the Coates Collection, by J. C. Nattes, which we reproduce here (Plate 27) by the kind permission of Major Sir Edward Coates.

Condition of repair.

The cottages are in excellent repair.

Old prints, drawings, etc.

(fn. 1) Wash drawing by J. C. Nattes in the Coates Collection.

In the Council's ms. collection are:

Photograph of the cottages from the south.

Another view of the same.