The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 944 ST MARGARET'S STREET (South East Side)
No 7 TR 1457 NE 4/193 3.5.67.
II GV
2. Early C17 and later. 2 storeys and attics timber-framed. Gable front is painted brick. 1st floor is plastered. Old toed roof. 2 sashes in attic. 1st floor has 2 3-light canted bays only one of which has glazing bars intact. Ground floor has later C19 shopfront with narrow panelled risers.
Nos 5 to 8 (consec) form a group.
Listing NGR: TR1486357673 (1)

During the late 16th century, a mansion owned by Sir George Newman was established on the east side of St Margaret's Street; the mansion contained a brewhouse alongside yards, outbuildings, and an ornamental garden. The area of the mansion was then occupied by No.9 St Margaret's Street which took the form of a large 3-storey Georgian property. This property was then subject to bomb damage during the Second World War, demolished, then redeveloped in the 1960s into an extension to Slatters hotel in No.s 7 & 8.

The cellar of No.7 is located on top of part of the Roman ampitheatre. This element of the house may pre-date the existing structure. No.7 is thought to date from the 17th century and its structure was largely formed of brick, with some elements (largely focused around the roof) formed from timber. A number of alterations have been made to the building over its lifetime; these are evidenced by features such as internal partitions where walls between rooms once existed.

The building is 4-storeys high, with two storeys contained within its roof. Some timber components of the roof are thought to date from the late-medieval or early post-medieval periods. The roof itself appears to have been altered, with many elements reused over time, suggesting it may have originated from an earlier structure. Early timber framing has potentially been observed between the two hearths of the house and the front of one of the hearths retains some early wallpaper. An element of particular significance within the house include an open-well staircase dating from the 17th century.

A bakery was established at the site towards the end of the 18th century, with bread ovens/bake houses to the rear of the house. The property shop front was updated in the 19th century, and later replaced by the extant front in the 20th century. A chimney associated with the building appears to have been removed during the late 19th or early 20th century in order to create more space in the shop.

Wartime bomb damage affected the north wall of the building which was subsequently rebuilt with breeze blocks. (2)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd., 2020, NUMBERS 7 AND 8 ST. MARGARET’S STREET, CANTERBURY: Historic building recording watching brief during redevelopment of the former Slatters Hotel site (Unpublished document). SKE55757.