Building record TR 34 SW 2280 - Historic Building 27-29 Biggin Street, Dover, Kent

Summary

27-29 Biggin Street, Dover. Late C19th (1885) building, located on the north eastern side of Biggin Street, with a commercial and domestic use. Currently (2019) in a good condition. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Location

Grid reference Centred TR 3182 4160 (19m by 22m)
Map sheet TR34SW
County KENT
District DOVER, KENT
Civil Parish DOVER, DOVER, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Late C19th three storey building forming the north eastern corner between Biggin Street and Pencester Road. The ground floor of the Biggin Street façade is heavily inserted and modern for a former commercial use (it is currently un-occupied) the upper floors appear to be residential and occupied. At ground floor level there is a central doorway, set with a recessed porch area and with windows on either side. There is metal flashing above the facia, which would have contained the commercial signage, and below the windows of the first floor. The first and second floor are plastered and painted cream, there are two windows per floor which align across the floors, and a parapet over the second floor which is also plastered and painted. The corner of the building is rounded across the first and second floors, with a further window on each floor in this corner which are also rounded. The ground floor is at an angle rather than being rounded meaning that there is a slight overhang above it. There is a window within the angled ground floor corner. The Pencester Road façade may be divided into two halves both of which are plastered and painted in the same cream colour as the Biggin Street side. The commercial facia of the ground floor continues across the south western half, below this the ground floor is in plaster with four small sections of painted brick between, possibly suggesting that the plastered sections cover former openings. The metallic flashing continues across the top of the fascia on this side also, located immediately beneath the first-floor windows. The south western half contains four windows on the first and second floors, aligning across the floors. A gutter down pipe is located between the second and third windows, it is set in a slight gap within the façade and is likely original. The parapet also continues around the corner and onto the whole of the Pencester Road façade. At the ground floor level of the north eastern half of the building there is a large and elaborately decorative doorway and surround located centrally within this half. The door has pilasters on either side over which rests a curved pediment with dentil detailing. There is a date stone (1885) within the pediment. A semi-circular fanlight is located over the door above which is a decorative plaster keystone. There are three further openings on the ground floor at the north eastern end of the building. On the northern side of the main door there is a single window which has been filled with modern glass bricks, while to the south there is another window with iron bars over and vent beneath and a door which has been blocked whit a window above the transom covered with a metal grill. At the base of the ground floor, immediately to south of the door, there are two partially blocked vents, possibly indicating the presence of a basement below the ground floor. There is a string course above the ground floor that aligns with the top of the fascia on the south eastern part of the façade. At the first and second floor level there are five equally spaced windows that align across the floors, the string course forms a continuous sill for the first-floor windows. Between the first and second floor windows, stretching across the whole of the Pencester Road side of the building, is a large sign reading: ‘MANCHESTER UNITY INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS CLUB AND INSTITUTE’. This sign is slightly advanced from the rest of the façade and has a small amount of decorative detailing on the surround.

The ground floor of the Biggin Street façade has a former commercial use with modern windows and doors. The door is mostly glazed with a metallic frame and surround, it is located centrally and set with a recessed porch area. There are windows on wither side, again with metallic frames, there continue into the corner created by the recessed area for the door. All of the first and second floor windows on both the Biggin Street and Pencester road sides are modern and plastic. The door within the north eastern half of the Pencester Road façade is timber with four panels, the upper two of which are glazed. There is a semi-circular fanlight above the transom over the door and a tall thin pane on either side of the door. On the northern side of the main door there is a single rectangular window which has been filled with modern glass bricks. On the southern side there is another window with iron bars over and vent beneath. The window is divided into four panes by timber mullions and transoms, the upper parts of the upper panes have been blocked and contain small vents. There is a further door to the south of this window which has been blocked and has a square window above the transom which is covered with a metal grill. (1)


<1> Kent County Council, 2019, Historic building condition asseesment and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre (Unpublished document). SKE52120.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1>XY Unpublished document: Kent County Council. 2019. Historic building condition asseesment and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre. [Mapped feature: #101742 building, ]

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: Walkover and photographic survey of Dover Town - Area 1 Town Centre (EKE19202)
  • Event Boundary: Walkover and photographic survey of Dover Town Centre (EKE19201)

Record last edited

Jun 19 2019 12:32PM