Summary

Former house, coffee shop and tavern, now shops. Built in 1776 as the Theatre Manager's house, coffee shop and tavern for Henry Thornton. It housed the booking office to the theatre and became a chapel in 1827. Later altered with modern ground floor shopfronts.

Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Enhancement on 29 February 2024 to amend the description and to add historic background

5232
SZ 6199 NE 7/68

HIGH STREET (south side) Nos 125 and 126

II

Former house, coffee shop and tavern, now shops. Built in 1776 as the Theatre Manager's house, coffee shop and tavern for Henry Thornton. It housed the booking office to the theatre and became a chapel in 1827. Later altered with modern ground floor shopfronts.

MATERIALS: red brick laid in Flemish bond with blue brick headers. There is a stone coping to the pediment. There are slate roof coverings to 125 High Street and tiled roof coverings to 126 High Street.

DESCRIPTION: a three-storey building with modern shopfronts to the ground floor. The first and second floors comprise, from left to right: two bays of segmental-headed sash windows; three-bays of segmental-headed sashes with a pediment over; and a single bay of sashes. The pediment has brick dentils and a stone coping; the ends resting on projecting brackets. There are some original sashes. 125 High Street has a slate covered roof whilst 126 High Street has a hipped tile covered roof.


Listing NGR: SZ6195999886

History

Gosport is recorded in 1206 as a ‘newly built’ port town. That which survives of the medieval grid pattern of streets and tenements is situated in what is now ‘Old Gosport’ and incorporates the east-west running High Street (‘Middle Street’ on C18 maps) which is flanked by North Street and South Street, with small cross streets and lanes (such as North Cross Street, South Cross Street and Bemister’s Lane) linking the three. By 1417, Gosport was involved in the defensive system of Portsmouth Harbour with a blockhouse (fort) on Blockhouse Point. A ferry service linked the two towns from the C16 onwards and the subsequent development of Gosport was largely driven by its role in defending the western landward and seaward approaches to the harbour and supplying the Royal Navy. From the late C17 onwards, a line of ramparts and artillery bastions, known as the Gosport Lines, were built surrounding the town. Gosport’s growth over the following three centuries mirrored that of the navy, as boatyards, rope-making facilities, victualling yards, a prison, hospitals, barracks and naval bases were constructed. It also led to demand for housing in large new residential areas beyond the Gosport Lines. During the Second World War, the town suffered major bomb damage and there was extensive post-war rebuilding after 1945.

125-126 High Street was built in 1776 on the south side of Gosport High Street as the Theatre Manager's house, coffee shop and tavern for Henry Thornton. It housed the booking office to the theatre and became a chapel in 1827. It was later altered with modern ground floor shopfronts.

External Links

• Wikidata Q26566005

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