LISTED BUILDING · NHLE 1255473
39 High Street
39 High Street, Leominster
Timber-framed house constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17, altered during the C18. A shopfront was inserted in the late-C19 or early-C20, along with alterations to windows and interiors.
Dates and uses reflect the source records and may not describe the building today.
Designation information
Inclusion in the National Heritage List for England confirms that this is a designated heritage asset of national special architectural or historic interest.
Historical development
The town of Leominster traces its origins to the establishment of a religious house there during the C7 or earlier. The Saxon settlement endured repeated Viking raids and is recorded as a sizeable town in the Domesday Book (1086), with 27 households. In the early-C12, King Henry I established a Benedictine Priory in the town and granted a foundation charter for the town’s market. The town thrived throughout the later medieval period, despite periodic unrest due to its location in the border region. Leominster wool was prized across Europe and bestowed considerable wealth upon the town. The town centre retains many medieval and early-modern buildings; secular buildings are timber framed while surviving Priory buildings are constructed of local sandstone. The town centre retains an essentially medieval street pattern, with long, narrow burgage plots fronting the north-south spine road of Broad Street-High Street-South Street, and Corn Square (the historic market place) lying to the east of the High Street. The remains of the Priory, dissolved in 1539, lie to the north-east of the town centre. The town remained a prominent local centre into the C18 and C19. During this period, many timber-framed buildings were replaced (or refronted) by brick buildings with Classical elevations. Many houses in the town centre were partially converted to commercial use and equipped with shopfronts during the later-C19 and C20. 39 High Street is a timber-framed building constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17. The west (High Street) façade was rendered during the C18 or C19 and a timber shopfront was installed in the late-C19 or early-C20. The rear elevation was rebuilt in brick during the C18 and a gable dormer added. The first and second-floor windows of the High Street façade were replaced during the mid-C20. A carved timber bargeboard, possibly contemporary with the original building, was also removed and replaced with a plain bargeboard during the mid-C20. Today (2022) the building is in use as a shop with dwellings above.
People and businesses through time
HISTORICAL ADDRESS RECORD
Through time, 39 High Street
1 of 10, Late 16th century or early 17th century
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About these records
2 historical addresses linked to this NHLE entry. Directory entries can describe a workplace or premises use rather than a residence.
- 37 & 39 High Street, Leominster
- 39 High Street, Leominster
Late 16th century or early 17th century
ConstructionBuilding construction
Estimated date recorded by the current NHLE building entry.
SourceNational Heritage List for England, NHLE 1255473
Estimated construction date drawn from the NHLE list summary.
Architectural evidence and features
These descriptions relate to particular parts of the building at the date of each source. They may not reflect its use or condition today. Unconfirmed features remain open questions.
Evidence reviewed 13 September 2026.
Documented type / function
- Shop and dwelling at NHLE2022 date
Principal identity and explicitly separated historical/ancillary use
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Documented phases
- NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Structural system
- Timber frame understood
concealed principal structure, not inspected
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Cladding / finishes
- Render
west/front
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Paint
east brick
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
External wall material
- Brick
east elevation
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Roof covering
- Plain tile
roof
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Other materials / details
- Timber and glass
shopfront
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Timber joinery
Visible subject window/door/shopfront joinery, not wall structure or timber species
Supplied capture date 2026-07-25, no independent date authentication
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Leominster Heritage photograph LH-IMG-000061
Describes visible joinery and does not establish timber-framed walls.
Architectural features
- Cellar; Casement windows; Jetty; Boxed bressumer; Gable; Plain bargeboards; Shopfront
Only the named source-described elevations, interiors and components; qualifiers form part of each term
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Render; Gable; Plain bargeboards; Casement windows; Jetty; Shopfront; Paint loss; Cracking; Weathering
Visible subject frontage only; neighbouring and temporary objects excluded
Supplied capture date 2026-07-25, no independent date authentication
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Leominster Heritage photograph LH-IMG-000061
Shows what was visible when photographed. Concealed construction, stone type, manufacturing date and current trading remain unconfirmed.
- Chamfered and moulded ceiling beams
Interior understood in NHLE, not freshly inspected
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Half-canted recessed entrance; Fascia; Consoles; Shutter brackets; Beaded pilasters; Moulded timber stallriser; Overlight
Late 19th century/early 20th century shopfront, modern door and source qualifiers retained
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255473
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Research notes and uncertainties
Component, chronology and current-use qualifications: Earlier carved bargeboards/apex pendant recorded1934 have been removed. Ornate framing/bargeboards in adjacent photo buildings excluded. Generic town history does not establish sandstone. Current use and survival not independently verified for September2026.
NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century. [Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved; NHLE late 16th century/early 17th century versus RCHME probable late 17th century/early 18th century. Shopfront late 19th century/early 20th century, windows mid 20th century.] Documented fabric phases and alternatives. Reviewed value replaces rather than validates the original chronology. Administrative dates and generic town-history periods excluded. Earlier carved bargeboards/apex pendant recorded1934 have been removed. Ornate framing/bargeboards in adjacent photo buildings excluded. Generic town history does not establish sandstone.
Explore records with these reviewed features. Results may concern only part of a listed group and retain their source-date qualifications.
How this record is evidenced
The designation, listing date and statutory description are drawn from Historic England, NHLE 1255473.
Current survey photographs dated 25 July 2026 record the publicly visible fabric and features shown on this page.
The building has been cross-referenced to the Royal Commission's 1934 Herefordshire inventory. The full matched extract and its cited illustrations are reproduced below with links to the digitised source.
The concise summary and searchable feature tags have been prepared by Leominster Heritage and are kept separate from the statutory wording.
Map location
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39 High Street
Grade II · NHLE late C16/early C17 versus RCHME probable late C17/early C18. Shopfront late C19/early C20, windows mid C20. [Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved; NHLE late C16/early C17 versus RCHME probable late C17/early C18. Shopfront late C19/early C20, windows mid C20.] · Timber-framed house constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17, altered during the C18. A shopfront was inserted in the late-C19 or early-C20, along with alterations to windows and interiors. MATERIALS: the building’s west (High Street) elevation is rendered and its east (Butchers Row) elevation is of painted brickwork. The original timber frame structure is understood to survive behind the facades. The shopfront is of timber and glass, and the roof covering is plain tile. PLAN: the building occupies a rectangular plot with a principal elevation to the west on the High Street and a rear elevation to the east on Butchers Row. EXTERIOR: the building is of three storeys plus basement across a single bay to its east and west elevations, under a gable roof. There is a late-C19 or early-C20 shopfront to the High Street frontage, which comprises a large, plate glass shop window over a moulded timber stallriser, framed by beaded pilasters, with a half-canted, recessed entrance to the south containing a C20 door and a plain overlight. The window frame carries brackets for fitting external shutters. Over the shop window and entrance is a moulded fascia board with console brackets carrying a moulded, flat hood. The first and second floors each have a single, centrally-placed, timber casement of the mid to late-C20. Above the second-floor window, the gable is jettied with plain boxing-in of the bressumer and eaves and plain, modern bargeboards. INTERIOR: the interior is understood to contain exposed chamfered and moulded ceiling beams. History The town of Leominster traces its origins to the establishment of a religious house there during the C7 or earlier. The Saxon settlement endured repeated Viking raids and is recorded as a sizeable town in the Domesday Book (1086), with 27 households. In the early-C12, King Henry I established a Benedictine Priory in the town and granted a foundation charter for the town’s market. The town thrived throughout the later medieval period, despite periodic unrest due to its location in the border region. Leominster wool was prized across Europe and bestowed considerable wealth upon the town. The town centre retains many medieval and early-modern buildings; secular buildings are timber framed while surviving Priory buildings are constructed of local sandstone. The town centre retains an essentially medieval street pattern, with long, narrow burgage plots fronting the north-south spine road of Broad Street-High Street-South Street, and Corn Square (the historic market place) lying to the east of the High Street. The remains of the Priory, dissolved in 1539, lie to the north-east of the town centre. The town remained a prominent local centre into the C18 and C19. During this period, many timber-framed buildings were replaced (or refronted) by brick buildings with Classical elevations. Many houses in the town centre were partially converted to commercial use and equipped with shopfronts during the later-C19 and C20. 39 High Street is a timber-framed building constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17. The west (High Street) façade was rendered during the C18 or C19 and a timber shopfront was installed in the late-C19 or early-C20. The rear elevation was rebuilt in brick during the C18 and a gable dormer added. The first and second-floor windows of the High Street façade were replaced during the mid-C20. A carved timber bargeboard, possibly contemporary with the original building, was also removed and replaced with a plain bargeboard during the mid-C20. Today (2022) the building is in use as a shop with dwellings above.
Timber-framed house constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17, altered during the C18. A shopfront was inserted in the late-C19 or early-C20, along with alterations to windows and interiors.
Current survey photographs
Documentary evidence
Historic England
Royal Commission inventory, 1934
This earlier inventory records the building as it was understood at the time of survey. Its terminology and interpretation should be read alongside the current NHLE entry and present-day observation.
Read the Royal Commission inventory extract
RCHME CROSS-REFERENCE 1
Leominster, monument (101), p. 122.
a (101). House and shop, No. 39, S. of (100), is of three storeys. The gable has moulded barge-boards and an apex-post with a moulded pendant. The house was built probably late in the 17th or early in the 18th century.
Referenced illustrations
Official list description
Original NHLE location reference
Timber-framed house constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17, altered during the C18. A shopfront was inserted in the late-C19 or early-C20, along with alterations to windows and interiors. MATERIALS: the building’s west (High Street) elevation is rendered and its east (Butchers Row) elevation is of painted brickwork. The original timber frame structure is understood to survive behind the facades. The shopfront is of timber and glass, and the roof covering is plain tile. PLAN: the building occupies a rectangular plot with a principal elevation to the west on the High Street and a rear elevation to the east on Butchers Row. EXTERIOR: the building is of three storeys plus basement across a single bay to its east and west elevations, under a gable roof. There is a late-C19 or early-C20 shopfront to the High Street frontage, which comprises a large, plate glass shop window over a moulded timber stallriser, framed by beaded pilasters, with a half-canted, recessed entrance to the south containing a C20 door and a plain overlight. The window frame carries brackets for fitting external shutters. Over the shop window and entrance is a moulded fascia board with console brackets carrying a moulded, flat hood. The first and second floors each have a single, centrally-placed, timber casement of the mid to late-C20. Above the second-floor window, the gable is jettied with plain boxing-in of the bressumer and eaves and plain, modern bargeboards. INTERIOR: the interior is understood to contain exposed chamfered and moulded ceiling beams. History The town of Leominster traces its origins to the establishment of a religious house there during the C7 or earlier. The Saxon settlement endured repeated Viking raids and is recorded as a sizeable town in the Domesday Book (1086), with 27 households. In the early-C12, King Henry I established a Benedictine Priory in the town and granted a foundation charter for the town’s market. The town thrived throughout the later medieval period, despite periodic unrest due to its location in the border region. Leominster wool was prized across Europe and bestowed considerable wealth upon the town. The town centre retains many medieval and early-modern buildings; secular buildings are timber framed while surviving Priory buildings are constructed of local sandstone. The town centre retains an essentially medieval street pattern, with long, narrow burgage plots fronting the north-south spine road of Broad Street-High Street-South Street, and Corn Square (the historic market place) lying to the east of the High Street. The remains of the Priory, dissolved in 1539, lie to the north-east of the town centre. The town remained a prominent local centre into the C18 and C19. During this period, many timber-framed buildings were replaced (or refronted) by brick buildings with Classical elevations. Many houses in the town centre were partially converted to commercial use and equipped with shopfronts during the later-C19 and C20. 39 High Street is a timber-framed building constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17. The west (High Street) façade was rendered during the C18 or C19 and a timber shopfront was installed in the late-C19 or early-C20. The rear elevation was rebuilt in brick during the C18 and a gable dormer added. The first and second-floor windows of the High Street façade were replaced during the mid-C20. A carved timber bargeboard, possibly contemporary with the original building, was also removed and replaced with a plain bargeboard during the mid-C20. Today (2022) the building is in use as a shop with dwellings above.
Timber-framed house constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17, altered during the C18. A shopfront was inserted in the late-C19 or early-C20, along with alterations to windows and interiors. MATERIALS: the building’s west (High Street) elevation is rendered and its east (Butchers Row) elevation is of painted brickwork. The original timber frame structure is understood to survive behind the facades. The shopfront is of timber and glass, and the roof covering is plain tile. PLAN: the building occupies a rectangular plot with a principal elevation to the west on the High Street and a rear elevation to the east on Butchers Row. EXTERIOR: the building is of three storeys plus basement across a single bay to its east and west elevations, under a gable roof. There is a late-C19 or early-C20 shopfront to the High Street frontage, which comprises a large, plate glass shop window over a moulded timber stallriser, framed by beaded pilasters, with a half-canted, recessed entrance to the south containing a C20 door and a plain overlight. The window frame carries brackets for fitting external shutters. Over the shop window and entrance is a moulded fascia board with console brackets carrying a moulded, flat hood. The first and second floors each have a single, centrally-placed, timber casement of the mid to late-C20. Above the second-floor window, the gable is jettied with plain boxing-in of the bressumer and eaves and plain, modern bargeboards. INTERIOR: the interior is understood to contain exposed chamfered and moulded ceiling beams. History The town of Leominster traces its origins to the establishment of a religious house there during the C7 or earlier. The Saxon settlement endured repeated Viking raids and is recorded as a sizeable town in the Domesday Book (1086), with 27 households. In the early-C12, King Henry I established a Benedictine Priory in the town and granted a foundation charter for the town’s market. The town thrived throughout the later medieval period, despite periodic unrest due to its location in the border region. Leominster wool was prized across Europe and bestowed considerable wealth upon the town. The town centre retains many medieval and early-modern buildings; secular buildings are timber framed while surviving Priory buildings are constructed of local sandstone. The town centre retains an essentially medieval street pattern, with long, narrow burgage plots fronting the north-south spine road of Broad Street-High Street-South Street, and Corn Square (the historic market place) lying to the east of the High Street. The remains of the Priory, dissolved in 1539, lie to the north-east of the town centre. The town remained a prominent local centre into the C18 and C19. During this period, many timber-framed buildings were replaced (or refronted) by brick buildings with Classical elevations. Many houses in the town centre were partially converted to commercial use and equipped with shopfronts during the later-C19 and C20. 39 High Street is a timber-framed building constructed during the late-C16 or early-C17. The west (High Street) façade was rendered during the C18 or C19 and a timber shopfront was installed in the late-C19 or early-C20. The rear elevation was rebuilt in brick during the C18 and a gable dormer added. The first and second-floor windows of the High Street façade were replaced during the mid-C20. A carved timber bargeboard, possibly contemporary with the original building, was also removed and replaced with a plain bargeboard during the mid-C20. Today (2022) the building is in use as a shop with dwellings above.
Sources and further reading
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