Newcastle, Diana Street, No. 22B

HER Number:
15013

District:
Newcastle

Site Name:
Newcastle, Diana Street, No. 22B

Place:
Newcastle

Map Sheet:
NZ26SW

Class:
Domestic

Site Type: Broad:
Dwelling

Site Type: Specific:
House

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19-C20

Form of Evidence:
Extant Building

Description:
In 1831 a Women's Penitentiary was built on Diana Street by Joseph Cowell, devout Baptist, who preached to 'fallen' women in Sandgate. This building was the north wing of the peniteniary (see HER 15014). At the end of the 19th century the north wing of the peniteniary was rebuilt and became two terraced houses (Nos. 22A, HER 15014, and 22B). Two storey sheds were built on the south and east sides of the yard to the rear by 1926 and was listed as a garage belonging to Davison and Pickering (who ran a sweet factory at Nos. 14-20A, HER 15015). It is a two-storey building of machine-pressed brick. They rebuilt the central range of the penitentiary to create stables and cart sheds. When first built the building was U-shaped in plan with a yard against the north boundary. It has a slate roof, hipped at the southern corners. The north gables has slab copings and kneelers. On Diana Street the first floor windows are irregularly arranged. There are four pairs and a single window. All are sashes with stone heads and projecting sills. On the ground floor the northern edge of a blocked up arched door can just be seen. All other ground floor openings are replaced by steel roller shutters. The rear elevation has two rows of nine arched windows. One has been altered to accommodate a fan, four are blocked up and one has been replaced by a steel door. The former yard is now covered with a steel-trussed roof. The south and east walls have been removed. Steel beams now carry the upper part of the building. The upper floor of the east range was a stable with 8 stalls. These are separated by cast-iron columns with rebates for timber partitions and hooks for collars and harnesses. The floor is concrete, cast around steel beams. There is a dog-leg staircase at the south end of the row of stalls. There is no evidence of the ramp by which the horses accessed the stable. The ground floor of the east range might also have been a stable as it has matching windows, but the interior has been gutted. The former yard has a blocked door into No. 24 (HER 15012), which was in use when both buildings were part of Lyle's Garage. Near to this door are two arched openings used by horses and vehicles. Hinges remain inside the outer arch. There is no evidence as to the use of the south range. Most of the south wall between Nos. 22B and 22A has been removed to create a large workshop. The west range on Diana Street contains offices in what used to be a first floor flat. There is an open space on the ground floor below, with a small office and lobby at the south end. A blocked arched door can be seen in the north end.

Easting:
2392

Northing:
6441

Grid Reference:
NZ23926441

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Archaeological Services Durham University, 2012, 12-24 Diana Street, Science Central, Newcastle upon Tyne - Building Recording Report; Archaeological Services Durham University, 2013, 12-24 Diana Street, Science Central, Newcastle upon Tyne - Phase 2 Building Recording Report;