Description

CASTLE STREET
1.
5128
(North Side)
Castle Hill
Nos 154 to 160 (even)
and railings to street
SU 7073 12/41
SU 7072 13/41 22.3.57.
II* GV
2.
Former King's Arms Inn. A group of buildings with C18 fronts on 3 sides of
a court. 2 storey centre block, stucco with moulded cornice, parapet and mansard
slate roof with brick chimneys. 2 fluted conical lead rainwater heads. 11
windows on 1st floor, 6 on ground floor, glazing bar sashes mostly. 2 doors
with small Doric porches (No 156: columns replaced by plain uprights). 6 panel
doors. No 156 now half-glazed. No 158, upper 2 panels glazed. A further
side door to left with trellis porch.
Left hand wing (No 160): 2 storeys and attic. Stucco. Old tile roof, partly
mansard. End facing street has 2 storey bow with 3 cross glazed sash windows
and balcony to terrace in front of attic window. Arched door to right with
fanlight and reeded pilaster surround.
Right hand wing (no 154): Similar to No 160 (a later addition however) of
colour- washed brick with stone balustrade at 2nd floor level. Tarred tile
hipped mansard roof. Plate glass sash windows. Entered from left hand in
tented triangular headed porch. C18 spearhead rails with urns on standards
facing street, the gates have braced upper rail, dog-rails and box-panels standards.
Interior of No 154: late C18 staircase, the 1st floor bow window room is circa
1790s, has marble fireplace surround, some good cornices and fine doorcases
with Adam-type friezes.
Interior of No 158 very interesting with a good coved ceiling and panelled
room on the 1st floor and an C18 stair with turned balusters and straight string.
The building was an 'L' block (Nos 158 and 160) in 1734 and had developed by
1796, when it was occupied by 200 exiled French priests quartered in Reading, (1)
into its present plan with covered colonnades to north and west sides of the
court, the west side with a corridor above the colonnade.
(1) (Sources: Catholic Record Society Vol LXXXVI (1932)).

Listing NGR: SU7086273016

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533847

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)