Sun Street
Strange Building in Hitchin
This strange building is behind the restaurant Bella Vita on Sun Street. It’s either a terrible nightmare for an architect to ‘read’ or an absolute thrill to ‘decode’. I suspect (as do others) that it has been cobbled together from lots of other buildings (Cheap materials) I really enjoy looking at it, but make if it what you will. Derek Wheeler of ‘The Hitchin Historical Society’ has suggested that it was part of the Girls’ School that was run in Roslyn House during the 19th Century; and that later became a furniture shop until 1910 (approximately), accounting for the mélange of styles and building materials.
(Update) Since I last took it’s photograph, the building has lost its little curvy stairs and there is a huge pile of bricks to the left of where the stairs used to be. I wonder if they are going to re-do them or do a disabled access ramp? Who knows?
The Sun Hotel
Just for a change, a a different view of the wonderful Sun Hotel (Also previously known as the Sun Inn) on Sun Street. Sun Street used to be called Angel Street due to the fact that the Angel Inn formerly stood on it. (This collapsed in 1957)
Strange Building in Hitchin
This strange building is behing the restaurant Bella Vita on Sun Street. It’s either a terrible nightmare for an architect to ‘read’ or an absolute thrill to ‘decode’. I suspect (as do others) that it has been cobbled together from lots of other buildings (Cheap materials) I really enjoy looking at it, but make if it what you will. Derek Wheeler of ‘The Hitchin Historical Society’ has suggested that it was part of the Girls’ School that was run in Roslyn House during the 19th Century; and that later became a furniture shop until 1910 (approximately), accounting for the mélange of styles and building materials.
Paternoster and Hale Printing Office
This photograph is to show the old Paternoster & Hale Printing Office building in more detail. You can see the Orange Tree Sandwich Bar as mentioned in the last blog entry.
Orange Tree Grille
The Orange Tree Sandwich Shop on Sun Street has a wonderful decorative grille on the front of it. The business is one of two in a nice three storey red brick c1800 building. This was The Paternoster & Hale Printing Office, originally Paternoster’s Bookshop and Stationers. They amalgamated with Hale in Bucklersbury and became known as Paternoster and Hale and then became a printers. (It printed the Hitchin Advertiser newspaper.) The raised lettering ‘Printing Office’ can still easily be seen on the top third of the building.