9 Southgate Street
Built for Thomas Yate, apothecary, mayor in 1885 and younger son of the lords of Arlingham. His arms appear on the chimneypiece of a finely panelled room upstairs. From 1912 until 1969 it was annexed to The Bell, a coaching inn and the birthplace of George Whitefield (1714-77), evangelical Methodist preacher.
Merchant's house, now shop (No.9) and restaurant (No.9A) above. 1664/5 with C18, C19 and C20 alterations. Built for Thomas Yate, apothecary and alderman of Gloucester. The date 1650, inscribed on a chimney piece, may be several years earlier than the construction of the house. Restored 1992 for Gloucester City Council. Timber frame and brick with timber panelled facade, tiled roof with hipped dormers. C17 timber-framed front block; rear wing to left rebuilt in brick in C19.
EXTERIOR: three storeys, attic and cellar; on the front a C20 shop-front, the upper floors of three bays jettied at first and second-floor levels with moulded timber cornices planted on the bressumers, and with a moulded timber crowning cornice. On each upper floor three large C18 sashes with glazing bars (4x4 panes) in original openings; on the first floor the openings have moulded architraves flanked by carved drops, and a continuous sill board; below each window a pair of raised panels and above a shallow pediment with a carved tympanum; on the second floor carved drops placed centrally between segmental-pedimented windows with single panels below carved in an oval pattern of strapwork; on both floors pilasters at either end of the front. Two hipped roof dormers each with a pair of leadlight casements. Mid C19 2/2-pane sashes to rear wing.
INTERIOR: on the ground floor no visible features of interest in shop. Entrance passage to right leads to C19 staircase. Upper floors remodelled in C19 and C20. First-floor front room has decorative plasterwork with cherubs and cartouches to ceiling; bolection-moulded panelling and frieze with lozenges and lions' masks; mid C19 moulded fire surround framed in magnificent carved surround with cherubs, cornucopia etc and segmental pediment to overmantel broken by arms of Yate crossed with Berkeley and date 1650 (see historical note below). Mid C17 dog-leg stair rises from first to third floor, with turned balusters to closed string and large turned finials to newels. Second floor panelled room, with lozenges to frieze and bracketed cornice and very fine carved stone fire surround which has addorsed lions flanking sheep in nowy-headed tympanum, frieze with foliate and floral carving and bracketed cornice. Attic has butt purlins to central truss and timber-framed side walls.
HISTORY: of principal note for the outstanding architectural quality of its carved and panelled timber facade; fine traces of colour in the grain show that this woodwork was once painted an orange russet colour. Thomas Yate was a younger son of the Yate family whose family home was at Arlingham, south of Gloucester: the date on the overmantle commemorates the date of his first marriage in 1650. Pat Hughes has suggested that the first four sons are portrayed as cherubs in the plasterwork and that the other heads show Thomas and his two wives. In the C19 the property was known as the "Old Blue Shop", when it was the property of a bluemaker named James Lee; traces of a dark grey-blue substance have been found on the facade and under the floor board.