South Street, coppersmiths' shop

This building was listed Grade II in 2000 with the following description:
'Coppersmiths' shop and brass foundry, now builders merchant's storage, at South Street level, with offices attached to N; probable former house and storage at S on lower level to Hanover Street now disused. Offices for Robert Stephenson & Co, the western rooms probably pre-dating their first lease of 1 August 1823 with first floor bow window. Extended eastwards in 1825 to accommodate the newly formed company of George Stephenson & Son. Many original features destroyed by fire 1934 and the bow window was not replaced as found according to the lease. Coppersmiths' shop and brass foundry and storage below c1845 built by Amor Spoor and leased to Robert Stephenson & Co. EXTERIOR: South elevation to Hanover Street English bond brick with ashlar plinth and dressings; W elevation of offices to South Street painted render, other elevations brick where visible but obscured by adjacent buildings; roofs Welsh slate to coppersmiths' shop. not visible to offices which have glazed roof light strips. Offices two storeys to South Street, coppersmiths' shop and house and storage below 4-3 storeys on south elevation to steep slope on Hanover Street. Offices 2 storeys, 2x6bays with gable end to South Street. Ground floor has boarded door at left, iron bars to window at right; upper floor has 2 windows with projecting painted stone sills, the left mullion and transom and the right blocked. Hipped roof. Interior of ground floor not inspected; plain wood stair to first floor, which has blocked fireplace at right on S wall with painted segmental lintel and inner brick piers flanking hearth; at left, blocked window. Roof has 6 king post trusses with diagonal struts; bell frame attached to second truss. Roof lined with boards above and below glazed strips. Entrance to coppersmiths' shop is to top floor, down short flight of steps from small wedge-shaped roofed yard on south side of former offices. Floor below has storage and covered passage to former Back Hanover Street. INTERIOR: Interior of lowest level on S elevation to Hanover Street not inspected. It has former house at left of 2 storeys, 2 windows, with wedge stone lintel to blocked door at right with projecting stone step; similar lintels and projecting stone sills to 2 windows at left, the left blocked and the right boarded; similar lintels and sills to 2 blocked first floor windows. To right of this the plinth steps up as the ground rises and there are 2 storeys with one window and blocked door at right, the ground floor window smaller than but similar to those at left, the first floor a small blocked window with round brick arch and projecting stone sill. To right of this a 2-storey high arch with rusticated quoins, voussoirs and keystone, formerly over Back Hanover Street which ran to the left through the building. 3 storeys to right of arch have blank ground floor. Floor above arch has small openings with round brick arches, projecting stone sills and wrought iron grids, interspersed with blocked loading doors. Above these, on left of arch, is a single small square opening. Top floor has 13 small square openings with wood-lined reveals. Eaves partly painted with stone gutter brackets. Right bays have cast iron plates of tie rods above round-headed windows. Interior of top floor shows wide ashlar corbels to chimney at west end, perhaps from former brass foundry; rubble inner leaf to east gable. Colonnade formerly open to yard has round tapered cast iron piers supporting long beam parallel to front Hanover Street frontage, and this beam supoports king post trusses. East part has queen post trusses resting on wallplates. Some large skylights in north roof slope. Lower floors not inspected. HISTORY: Amor Spoor was builder and developer of the (listed grade II) warehouses dated 1841 and 1844 on the south side of Hanover Street, which are in the same brickwork and imposing style as this building; Seymour Bell portfolio 20 has an early Robert Stephenson & Co. document relating to lease dated 1845 of `Spoor's Building', with plans signed by Amor Spoor and Robert Stephenson in the same folder show to be this building on the north side of Hanover Street. Offices are shown on 1831 1:500 survey of Newcastle by Thomas Oliver and in 1837 site survey by him marked as offices, and shown as part of coppersmiths' shop on 1863 1:500 O.S.' LISTED GRADE 2