The Sevenoaks Society

Town Survey Update 1998/2001

High Street East: Sheet six

Building: 58 to 62 Photo: B4

History:

Nos. 58 and 60 three storey brick construction, the front being taken up as parapet pre 1867. Double ridge roof.

No. 62 originally separate building in rendered brickwork of same height with pitched roof. Following two suspect fires in No. 62 in February and March 1894 substantial rebuilding necessary, extra and larger windows provided and front wall taken up as parapet to match adjoining buildings.

Shop fronts of all buildings brought forward from wall face.

No. 58

Post Office – Hills, postmaster – 1865 to 1881

Dray – 1881 to 1891

Post Office, stationer and bookseller – F H Hills, returned 1891 to 1895

Confectioner – Fuller – 1895 to 1901

Music Shop – Traylen and Phillips – 1901 to 1912

Grocery and Provisions – Home and Colonial Stores – 1915 to 1932

Drapery – Home Drapery – 1932 to 1935

Ladies Fashion – Kent’s – 1935 to clearance

Charity Shop – Oxfam – to demolition

Nos. 60 & 62

Post Office – F H Hills – 1848 to 1881

Grocer and draper – Dray – 1881 to 1894 fires

No. 60

Stationer – Hills – 1901 to 1905

Moore and Dolton – 1905 to 1913

Butchers – London Central Meat Company – 1913 to 1931

Men’s Outfitters – Morris – 1931 to 1962

No. 62

Baker – Lowe – 1903 to 1906

Confectioner – Rutter – 1907 to 1909

Baker – Lowe – returned 1910 to 1916

Humphrey – 1916 to 1923

Nos. 60 & 62

Men’s Outfitters – Morris – 1926 to 1962

A Walker – short period unspecified

House furnishers – John’s – followed until 1970’s

Part clearance in 1975, final demolition in 1983

Current Use:

Nos. 58, 60 & 62 – Waitrose – superstore, part of John Lewis Partnership.

Description:

Built in 1983 on two floors with plain brown/red tile roof.

Both floors divided into five bays, those on ground floor brought forward to rear of pavement under short tiled roof with second bay from left carried up through both floors.

Ground floor three bays to south being divided by two double brick piers linked at the head by semi-circular brick header arches over planting boxes at pavement level. Fully glazed display windows set back from rear of pavement and planters with double door entrance and exit at left and right respectively. Left hand single bay has display window with brick plinth at rear of pavement. These four bays have deep brick lintel/fascia over with windows and openings trimmed by brick headers. Second bay from left projects slightly in front of the others, is rendered with central display window trimmed by shallow brick header arch and set on brick plinth.

First floor consists of three bay windows with bottom hung casement windows capped with small hipped tile roofs, brick header lintels and brickwork below cills, and all over the three bays to the south. Single bottom hung casement windows over left hand display window and two brick dividers, all set back above tiled roof over entrance/exit/display windows on ground floor.

Rendered treatment of second bay in carried up to form gable end over ‘Palladian’ style window at first floor level, trimmed at head and sub-cill levels by single row brick headers.

Comment:

Modern style building similar to No. 54 in its treatment, details and its impact on its surroundings, however, its broken character does not really reflect the open space of the superstore behind.

Importance: C

Not included in previous survey.