Whitchurch Town Trail: St. Mary's Street

St Mary’s Street runs southeast downhill from the Horse and Jockey pub at the junction of Church Street and Claypit Street. It curves sharply to the right past the Heritage Centre to join the High Street, where the corner is made on the left by Barclays Bank.

TC Duggan’s History of Whitchurch, Shropshire (1935) notes that the 1761 town map shows the name ‘Back Street’, also known as Backhouse Street. He suggests that the name Saint Mary’s Street ‘may probably have originated from the fact that a building, behind what is now known as St Mary’s House [No 31], was given by King John to the monks of St Mary’s in Shrewsbury as a ‘Cell’ to which the brothers would retire when the plague raged in the town of Shrewsbury.’

By the mid-12th century, Back Street provided rear access, hence its name, to the burgage plots laid out on the east side of the High Street.

What went on here?

The street appears always to have been a predominantly residential one. The Poor Rate Valuation (1827) lists a total of 27 properties, of which 20 are described as ‘House and Garden’. George Naylor, Esq. is shown as owning 8 properties in the street. Non-residential rateable premises are named as:

Warehouse
Stable (several)
Slaughterhouse
Coach-house
Office and Yard
Publick House

Listed Buildings

East side:
Number 1 (The Old Town Hall Vaults)
Number 3 (former Savings Bank)

Southwest side:
Number 12 (Heritage Centre), Number 14 (Sitoni House)
Numbers 16, 18 and 20 (St Mary’s Cottage)

Northeast side:
Numbers 27, 29, 31 (St Mary’s House) and 33
Number 1 (Old Town Hall Vaults)

Known earlier as Back Street Vaults and Cornmarket Inn. Built in the early 19th century, it was the home of John David Jones, younger brother of Edward Jones
(b. 1831) whose family ran a thriving grocery business for four generations at 32 High Street, on the corner with Pepper Street (now occupied by Victoria Wine Co).

John David Jones’s elder son was born in 1862 and baptised German Edward Jones, later becoming Edward German, the eminent light opera composer. There is a granite wall plaque to the right of the Old Town Hall Vaults entrance inscribed: Sir Edward German, the famous composer, was born here 17th February 1862. The composer, knighted in 1928, died in 1936.

About Edward German

Born 17th February1862 at the Cornmarket Inn (now The Old Town Hall Vaults).

Joined the Whitchurch Choral Society as an alto, aged 12, by now able to play piano, organ and violin.

Entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1880. He played organ and violin, and remained there until 1887.

He never married and, during his parents’ lifetime, always returned to stay with them in Whitchurch for summer and Christmas holidays.

He is remembered for numerous operettas, concert music, songs and two symphonies. His work includes Merrie England and Tom Jones, The Emerald Isle, The Princess of Kensington and The Just So Stories.

German was knighted in the New Year Honours of 1928, and died on 11th November 1936. He is buried in Whitchurch Cemetery in Mile Bank Road on the outskirts of the town.

The first Sir Edward German Music Festival was held in April 2006. Future Festivals are planned to take place every two years to commemorate German’s life and music.


Number 12 (The Heritage Centre)
Built as the Weslyan Chapel in 1810 with huge Tuscan pilasters, it was replaced in 1879 by St John’s Methodist Church in St John’s Street. The building next became the town’s Post Office (now located in Green End) in 1899. Today it houses the Heritage and Tourist Information Centre, whose exhibits include an important working example of an early large clock manufactured by JB Joyce, the world-famous Whitchurch clock-makers.

Number 14 (Sitoni House)
Built as a house in the early 19th century, now used as offices.

Number 16
Timber-framed, now rendered, house probably built in the 17th century.

Number 18
Timber-framed house, now rendered, probably built in 17th century.

Number 20 (St Mary’s Cottage)
Built in late 16th or early 17th century, on the corner with Church Street. Madge Moran (Vernacular Buildings of Whitchurch) notes that ‘the room to the left of the entrance is not at present [1999] part of St Mary’s Cottage’. Thus the front elevation of the Cottage proper comprises the twin gables with the flight of steps from the street to the front entrance.

The English Heritage listing description mentions the numerous front windows remodelled in ‘Gothick’ style. Mrs Moran’s research brought to light a wooden lintel to the kitchen fireplace bearing a moulding apparently dating from the 14th century. In her words, ‘it gives the impression of having an ecclesiastical background, and is a truly gothic feature of the house as opposed to the ‘gothick’ windows’. The building still poses many questions about its original nature and design.

Number 27
An early 19th century house, now used as offices and flat. Its attractive front door-case includes pilasters with Corinthian-style capitals.

Number 29
Built early-mid 18th century, a grand six-bay house with three dormer windows at attic level. Formerly the Girls’ Collegiate School, a private boarding school, now used as a solicitor’s office. English Heritage report that the left-hand room at the rear of the ground floor has complete Art Deco decoration (around 1930), including the fireplace and stencilled wallpaper. When the footpath was widened during the 1920s several 19th century features were removed from the street frontage, including rustication at ground floor level, an Ionic porch, and an area with cast-iron railings. (Whitchurch Remembered (WHAG, 1980) contains two photographs comparing the house before and after these changes.)

Number 3
Built in 1846 as a Savings Bank in a neo-classical style. The frieze at first floor level has been painted over but reads:

Instituted AD 1818 Bank for Savings Erected AD 1846

Duggan’s History (1935) states: ‘This Bank still continues open to the public with an increasing number of Depositors.’ Today the building is divided into flats.

Number 31 (St Mary’s House)
Originally an early 19th century house, now offices. The front door-case is flanked by cast-iron boot scrapers. There is a former coach house set back to the right.

Number 33
English Heritage description states that this red-brick house is ‘dated 1763 but probably early 19th century’, which suggests that the date stone above the central first-floor window inscribed R.R: D 1763 may have been reset here from another location.

Other Noteworthy Buildings

Number 9
Contains items of architectural interest. According to Madge Moran, ‘it appears to consist of one bay of a larger structure’. She suggests a date of around 1620-40 for the earlier building.

Number 17
Probably built c 1650. ‘A fine mid-17th century’ staircase was demolished when the house was being converted into flats in the late 1970s. Mrs Moran notes the existence at first floor level of a ‘plank-and-muntin partition, the only example of its kind known in Whitchurch and not common in Shropshire.’ There is also a timber-framed barn behind the house. (Illustration 22 in Whitchurch Remembered (WHAG, 1980) is a photograph of the staircase shortly before it was dismantled). There are other notable staircases in Whitchurch at Bark Hill House, Mansion House, Dodington and 17 Green End (Corser House).