Building record 727/64/1 - No.169 Watling Street West

{1} Shop and offices, formerly shop and dwelling. Mid C18, altered C19 and C20. Red brick in Flemish bond (painted), slate roof, brick end stacks. 3-unit plan. 3.-stormy, 5-window range. C20 shop fronts flanking C20 glazed door. Arch to far left giving access to Meeting Lane. First floor has C19 sashes with rendered segmental-arched brick heads and keyblocks. Second floor storey band, blocked angles and moulded stone eaves. Interior has chamfered spine beams and cambered stop-chamfered bressumer to first floor fireplace, possibly reset.

{2} Shop and dwelling, mid 18th century, altered 19th and 20th century. 3-unit plan. 3-storey, 5-window range. 20th century shop fronts.Arch gives access to Meeting Lane. Now shop and offices.

{3} Ballinger suggests buildings were possibly for former inn. Large brick constructions including one with carriage arch. Film 2, photo 23-25.

{4} In the mid-17th century ‘The Reindeer’ was the largest inn in the town, it having 19 hearths. An inventory of the inn produced in 1718 after the death of William Wills, the innkeeper, provides an interesting snapshot of the inn at that time. At the front of the inn were two rooms, the ‘Rose Parlour’ and the ‘Dark Parlour’ each of which had three tables for the customers with the better class of customer using the ‘Rose Parlour’ which had curtains and a map. In the adjacent ‘cellar’ were the barrels of strong and small beer on stands called ‘thralls’ where the staff would draw the beer into the customer’s tankards. The adjacent coach entrance led to the rear yard which gave access to the kitchen, back-kitchen, brewhouse and stables. At the first floor there was a gallery giving access to the ‘Talbott’. ‘Pelican’, ‘Blue’, ‘Half Moon’, and ‘Starr’ chambers. In the attics were chambers for the hostlers, who looked after the horses, and the maids. The yard with the gallery around it is the type of location where touring theatrical groups would have performed plays in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The conversion of the inn into grocer’s shop has destroyed many of inn’s features but the timbers supporting the rear gallery are visible at the rear of the entrance arch. Building work in 1981 revealed the gable wall of the inn’s rear wing and a stone fireplace from one of the first floor chambers dating to circa 1600. The parapet of this wall can still be seen at the end of the houses abutting the Catholic Church.

{5} Undated photo, also three photos dated 29.09.1997 and one dated 17.12.1997;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 13/187 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F08 p.85 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Towcester (Industrial), 3.4.2 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100255.

<4> Giggins B., 2016, The Reindeer Inn, 169 Watling Street (Note). SNN110320.

<5> Photographs of buildings in Towcester (Photographs). SNN114425.

Record last edited

Nov 30 2022 12:03PM