"The Chronicles of a Country Parish" - A village appraisal of Sulgrave published in 1995


SCHOOL STREET
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Sulgrave Stores is accommodated in a 19th-century building of random rubble limestone, with a slate roof. On the end wall may still be discerned an advertisement for "Sunlight Soap largest sale in the world". The premises have been used for commercial purposes of one sort or another for longer than anyone can remember. The village Post Office, after occupying at least four other sites, is now based here.


The Village Stores and Queen's House

Queens House is a large 18th century house, partly of random rubble and partly of ashlar. The raised gable ends (once more a sign that the roof was originally thatched) have copings, and corbels; the roof is now of blue slate. The windows have squared timber jambs and mullions, with transoms; the casements were re-hung in about 1947. The chimneys are of local brick, and there are three small dormer windows. The stone slab above the front door rests on knurled corbels. This is one of the few houses in the village to contain a cellar.

The Village School bears datestones both of the opening of the building in 1887 and of its closure in 1991. It was built, on a rather odd site adjoining Queens House, by public subscription. The walls are of ashlar and random rubble; the rear wall was part of an earlier building. There is a blue slate roof, and six long narrow windows with semi-circular arches over. The building is at present empty; its future is not decided (1992).

The School House is possibly 18th century in date, but was partly rebuilt in the late 19th century. The rear wall is of random rubble, but the front and gable ends are of rough sawn coursed brown Eydon stone. The roof is of slate, and the windows are mostly modern casements with leaded lights.

Junipers and Chapmans Close were both built in 1973-4 of limestone, sawn to the west elevation, random rubble elsewhere. The roofs are of grey interlocking tiles. The window surrounds, mullions and lable courses are of reconstructed limestone. The ashlar of the facades was recovered stone from Whittlebury House Stables, and the datestone on the north gable of Junipers was from another, earlier, building.

 

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Mertyne, Northston and Sunnymead were also built in the 1970s, of random rubble, some coursed and some ashlar. The chimneys are of squared stone, and the roofs of grey interlocking concrete tiles. The windows are of standard casement type.

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