Building record 1160/0/288 - 59 Artizan Road, Northampton

(Historically known as 79 Henry Street). Probably a purpose-built grindery dealer’s premises dating from the early 1890s, with multiple entrances indicating different functional areas.

{1} This roughly triangular-shaped two-storeyed building stands on an acutely angled corner site, with frontages to Henry Street on the south-west and Artizan Road on the east. It appears to be a purpose-built grindery dealer’s premises dating from the early 1890s, with multiple entrances indicating different functional areas, and it survives with relatively few external modifications. Early directories placed it in Henry Street, but since about 1900 it has been treated as belonging to Artizan Road.
The street elevations have a stone sill band at first-floor level and a moulded brick eaves, the latter returning along the rear (north) elevation. The entrance occupies a canted bay at the junction of the two street elevations, beneath a sash window with a limestone ashlar surround and side-lights in the main elevations. On each side of the entrance there are large shop windows with timber surrounds. Elsewhere on the street elevations the windows have chamfered and keyed segmental heads, and mostly tripartite sashes. A similar window occurs in the east front of a lean-to against the rear wall, suggesting (with the evidence of the brickwork and sill band) that this is contemporary. It has a separate entrance from Artizan Road, and appears to have been extended westwards before 1924, partially obscuring (?) a first-floor window in the main block. On the Henry Street elevation there is a further plain entrance associated with a blind section of the street elevation, while to the rear this area appears to be lit by a more utilitarian form of window, possibly indicating warehouse use. There are three stacks, two rising from the rear wall (where one incorporates a flue rising from the lean-to) and one placed more centrally within the main block.
A further lean-to was added to the north, where its roof creates a valley with the original lean-to roof, before 1924. A small yard was retained, entered via a gateway on Henry Street. Another entrance has been inserted in the Artizan Road elevation.

<1> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2000, Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe Survey, Northampton Site 96 (Catalogue). SNN105075.

<2> Historic England, Undated, 59 Artizan Road/ 79 Henry Street, Northampton, BF103614 (Archive). SNN113823.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 6:57PM