LISTED BUILDING · NHLE 1255490
5 and 7 South Street
5 and 7 South Street
Pair of dwellings with ground floor shops constructed during the late-C18, extended in both the C19 and C20.
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. 5 and 7 South Street were constructed during the late-C18, probably on the site of an earlier building or buildings. The pair are likely to have been originally constructed as shop houses, with commercial premises on the ground floor and dwellings above. New shopfronts were inserted at number 7 (the southern property) during the late-C19 or early-C20 and at number 5 during the late-C20. Both properties have been extended to the rear (east). Number 5 appears to have been extended to the rear (east) in at least two phases during the late-C19 and later C20, while number 7 was extended to the rear sometime before 1885, this appears to be extant. The ground floors are in use as shops with dwellings above (2022).
People and businesses through time
HISTORICAL ADDRESS RECORD
Through time, 5 and 7 South Street
1 of 13, Late 18th century
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About these records
3 historical addresses linked to this NHLE entry. Directory entries can describe a workplace or premises use rather than a residence.
- 2 & 7 South Street, Leominster
- 5 South Street, Leominster
- 7 South Street, Leominster
Late 18th century
ConstructionBuilding construction
Estimated date recorded by the current NHLE building entry.
SourceNational Heritage List for England, NHLE 1255490
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
- Pair of houses, probably built as shop-houses. Shops and dwellings documented2022
Principal identity and explicitly separated historical/ancillary use
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Documented phases
- Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
External wall material
- Red brick in Flemish bond
No5 and No7
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Cladding / finishes
- White paint
No5 brick front
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Stucco
No7 stallriser
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Roof covering
- Slate
both principal roofs
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Lead
No7 shop hood
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Chimneys
- Brick
No7 south stack
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Other materials / details
- Timber
both shopfronts
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Tile
steps
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
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-000008
Describes visible joinery and does not establish timber-framed walls.
Architectural features
- Half-hipped roof; Cellar; Passage; Segmental arches; Sash windows; Shopfront; Fluted pilasters; Cellar grille; Plank door
Only the named source-described elevations, interiors and components; qualifiers form part of each term
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
- Painted brick at No5; Red brick at No7; S-shaped pattress plates; Disc anchors; Shopfront; Segmental arches; Cellar grille at No7; Glazed low shopfront tiles at No5; Sign brackets; Paint loss; 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-000008
Shows what was visible when photographed. Concealed construction, stone type, manufacturing date and current trading remain unconfirmed.
- Painted brick at No5; Red brick at No7; S-shaped pattress plates; Disc anchors; Shopfront; Segmental arches; Cellar grille at No7; Glazed low shopfront tiles at No5; Sign brackets; Paint loss; 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-000047
Shows what was visible when photographed. Concealed construction, stone type, manufacturing date and current trading remain unconfirmed.
- Paired frontage; Dentillated eaves; Fascia
Principal pair, shopfront fascia with No5 and No7 details distinguished
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.
Supported with qualification
Source and context
Historic England, NHLE entry 1255490
Applies to the named part and historical phase; current use has not been confirmed.
Research notes and uncertainties
Component, chronology and current-use qualifications: Generic town history supplies no sandstone or timber-frame evidence. No5 flat-roofed rear differs from No7 pitched long range. Window arrangements and retail identities must remain address-specific. Current use and survival not independently verified for September2026.
Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ. [Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved; Late 18th century pair. No5 late 20th century shopfront, No7 19th century/early 20th century front. Later rear ranges differ.] Documented fabric phases and alternatives. Reviewed value replaces rather than validates the original chronology. Administrative dates and generic town-history periods excluded. Generic town history supplies no sandstone or timber-frame evidence. No5 flat-roofed rear differs from No7 pitched long range. Window arrangements and retail identities must remain address-specific.
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 1255490.
Current survey photographs dated 25 July 2026 record the publicly visible fabric and features shown on this page.
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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5 and 7 South Street
Grade II · Late C18 pair. No5 late C20 shopfront, No7 C19/early C20 front. Later rear ranges differ. [Source-specific fabric phases, alternatives preserved; Late C18 pair. No5 late C20 shopfront, No7 C19/early C20 front. Later rear ranges differ.] · 5 and 7 South Street
Pair of dwellings with ground floor shops constructed during the late-C18, extended in both the C19 and C20.
Current survey photographs
Documentary evidence
Historic England
Official list description
Pair of dwellings with ground floor shops constructed during the late-C18, extended in both the C19 and C20. MATERIALS: the building is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond and painted white at number 5. Both buildings have timber shop fronts onto South Street, and a roof covering of slate. PLAN: the original, C18 front range of the buildings is arranged on a rectangular, two-unit plan with principal elevations to the west facing South Street, with a passage between the two buildings. Both buildings have been extended to the rear, number 7 to a greater extent and now occupying a long, narrow plan. EXTERIOR: the building is three storeys in height plus basement under a half-hipped roof with dentillated eaves to the west elevation. A lateral, brick chimney stack rises from the southern party wall of number 7. The pair of properties are symmetrically arranged above the ground-floor shopfronts, with a single, centrally-placed, timber sash window under a segmental brick arch on the first and second floors, set within timber surrounds slightly recessed within the brick façade. At number 5, the first-floor window has six-over-one glazing, and the second-floor window has nine-over-one glazing. At number 7, both windows have six-over-six glazing. The mid-to late-C20 shopfront at number 5 comprises a large plate glass window over a tiled step with plain, flanking pilasters and a large, plain fascia board. The late-C19 or early-C20 shopfront at number 7 has a stucco stall riser with a barred cellar window and a large, plate glass shop window flanked by fluted pilasters. To the left (north), the main entrance comprises a half-glazed, C20 door with a moulded over light above and flanked by fluted pilasters (the southern pilaster is shared with the shop window). To the north again, the entrance to the passageway is incorporated into the timber and stucco shopfront, also being flanked by fluted pilasters, with a wide, plank door. A timber fascia board and flat, lead-coped hood runs across the shopfront and passageway. Each property has a cross wing projecting eastwards under a gable roof. Both properties have also been extended eastwards. At number 7, there is a long, one to two storey range under a pitched roof, while at number 5, the rear extension appears to be a single storey and under a flat roof. 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. 5 and 7 South Street were constructed during the late-C18, probably on the site of an earlier building or buildings. The pair are likely to have been originally constructed as shop houses, with commercial premises on the ground floor and dwellings above. New shopfronts were inserted at number 7 (the southern property) during the late-C19 or early-C20 and at number 5 during the late-C20. Both properties have been extended to the rear (east). Number 5 appears to have been extended to the rear (east) in at least two phases during the late-C19 and later C20, while number 7 was extended to the rear sometime before 1885, this appears to be extant. The ground floors are in use as shops with dwellings above (2022).
Sources and further reading
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