Wigton is a civil parish and town in the Cumberlandunitary authority area of Cumbria, England. It contains 51 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. Most of the listed buildings are in or near the town centre, and mainly comprise shops and houses. There are also churches, public houses, hotels, schools, a bank, and a memorial drinking fountain. Further from the town centre, the listed buildings include a farmhouse and barn, a former mill, a war memorial, and a milestone.
Part of a wall of the former vicarage retained as a garden feature, it is in sandstone (probably Roman blocks). The structure has two storeys, and contains a blocked entrance, a window with a chamfered surround and, in the upper storey part of a two-light mullioned window.[2]
Originally a farmhouse that was extended in 1835, the original building has been converted into a garage, and the extension into a house. The original house has two storeys and two bays, with a lower storey in sandstone, an upper storey in brick, and a sandstone slate roof. The windows, of varying types, have been blocked. The present house has two storeys and two bays. On the front is a gabled porch, a doorway with a Tudor arched head and a hood mould, and two-light mullioned windows with hood moulds.[3]
The farmhouse is in sandstone, the main part dating from the 18th century. The main part has a chamferedplinth, a string course, quoins, and a green slate roof. It has two storeys and six bays, and a two-bay extension at right angles to the rear. To the left is the original house which is in two storeys and two bays, with a single-bay extension. The porch has an architrave and a pediment. The windows vary; some are cross-mullioned (some of which are blocked), and others are sashes. Inside the original house are a pair of upper crucks, an inglenook and a bressumer.[4]
A pair of houses, the later one dated 1688. They are in sandstone on a chamferedplinth, and have quoins and a green slate roof. The houses are in two storeys and have three bays each. The doorways have chamfered surrounds, inscribed and dated lintels, and hood moulds. Flanking the doorway of No. 12 are round-headed niches. The windows are casements, also with chamfered surrounds and hood moulds.[5]
A public house incorporating a former shop to the right, stuccoed with a Welsh slate roof. There are two storeys and two bays, with a further bay over a carriage arch to the left, and two bays in the former shop to the right. The doorway and sash windows have stone surrounds, and the carriage arch has a flat head.[6]
The bank is stuccoed on a mouldedplinth, and has a modillionedcornice and a green slate roof. There are two storeys and four bays, and a further bay to the right over an arch. Five steps lead up to a doorway that has a Doric doorcase with panelled reveals, a dentilledcornice, and an ornamental pediment. The windows are sashes in architraves, those in the lower floor with dentilled cornices. The archway is segmental with alternate block surrounds and cast ironbollards. Inside the arch is a re-set dated and inscribed lintel.[11]
Two adjoining houses; No. 13 is in brick and No. 29 is pebbledashed, and both have roofs partly of green slate and partly of sandstone slate. They are in two storeys, and each house has three bays, No. 29 having an extra bay over a shared archway. They both have sash windows in architraves, and each has a doorway with an architrave, a fanlight, a keystonefrieze, and a cornice. No. 29 is on a chamferedplinth and has quoins.[12]
Originally a public house, later a labour club, it is stuccoed with a modillioned gutter and a green slate roof. There are three storeys, three bays, and a doorway with a pilastered doorcase. The windows are sashes, those in the ground floor being double.[13]
A house that was extended in the early 19th century, it is rendered on the front, and has a chamferedplinth, a panelled string course, pilasteredquoins on the left, and a green slate roof. There are two storeys, two bays at the front, and four at the rear. The doorway has a Tuscan doorcase with an open pediment and a fanlight. The windows are sashes in stone surrounds. At the rear the wall is in sandstone and there is a round-headed stair window.[7][14]
A rendered public house on a chamferedplinth, with a roof of green slate repaired with Welsh slate. It has three storeys, four bays, and an extension at the rear. The doorway has an Ionic doorcase with a pediment, and the windows are sashes in stone surrounds.[15]
A former windmill in sandstone with a Welsh slate roof, it has been without sails since the 1840s. The structure has an elliptical plan, and the walls taper in an asymmetrical manner. There are five storeys, it is 55 feet (17 m) high, it contains doors, and small windows at different levels. There is a three-storey rectangular steam-mill extension containing a cart entrance, loft doors and windows, and also the base of a square chimney.[16][17]
Originally a house that was altered in 1800–07, and extended to become a school in 1898. The original house is in brick on a chamferedplinth with quoins and a green slate roof. It has two storeys, five bays, and a three-bay extension. It has a prostyleDoric porch with a triglyph and metopefrieze under a dentilledcornice. The windows are sashes in stone surrounds. The school extension to the right is in red brick, and consists of a three storey, three-bay block, and a hall. The block has a porch with a single Ionic column, and casement windows in alternate block surrounds. In the hall are mullioned windows and a battlementedgable.[18]
A row of four shops and offices, mainly pebbledashed, on a mouldedplinth, with string courses, a dentilledcornice, angle pilasters, and a hipped Welsh slate roof. They have three storeys, the three units facing King Street have three bays each, and the unit on the left, facing Market Hill has two bays. The houses have sash windows in stone surrounds, and each house facing King Street has a doorway with a Tuscan doorcase with an open pediment, and a fanlight. The unit facing Market Hill has a doorway with a pilastered surround, a cornice on console brackets, and a fanlight. To the left is a shop window, and beyond that is a segmental carriage arch with a quoined surround and a dated keystone.[21]
The house is part of a terrace, it is in brick on a chamferedplinth, and has a green slate roof. There are three storeys with a cellar, and one bay. Steps lead up to a doorway with an architrave and a fanlight, and most of the windows are sashes in stone surrounds.[22]
A terrace of four stuccoed houses on a chamferedplinth with a tile roof, in three storeys. No. 8 has two bays, and the others have one. The windows are sashes. Nos. 11 and 12 have quoins, and doorways and windows in architraves. The doors and windows of Nos. 7 and 8 have stone surrounds.[23]
A public house and adjoining shop, both rendered, with a green slate roof and in three storeys. The public house has four bays, quoins, a chamferedplinth, and doors and sash windows with round-headed stone surrounds. No. 5 has two bays, angle pilasters, an eavescornice, shop windows in the ground floor, and sash windows above.[24]
The milestone was provided for the Carlisle to Cockermouthturnpike road. It is in red sandstone and has a round top and a curved face. On it is a cast iron plate inscribed with the distances in miles to Carlisle and Cockermouth.[25]
The vicarage was extended in the middle of the 19th century. It is in stone on a rusticatedplinth, and has pilasteredquoins and a green slate roof. There are two storeys and three bays, with an additional bay to the right. The doorway has an Ionic porch and a fanlight, and the windows are sashes. In the end wall is a sculptured Roman figure.[7][26]
A row of three rendered houses on a chamferedplinth with green slate roofs, in two storeys and with sash windows in stone surrounds. No. 50 has one bay, and the others each have two bays. Nos. 50 and 48 have doorways with stone surrounds and pediments, No. 46 has a cornice with console brackets.[28]
The main part originated as a house, it has been used later for other purposes, and at the rear is an earlier house dated 1730. The main part is stuccoed on a mouldedplinth, and has quoins, a dentilledcornice, and a slate roof. There are three storeys and four bays, with three bays at the rear, and the original two-storey two-bay house, giving an L-shaped plan. In the first bay is a segmental archway, the second bay contains a doorway that has a reeded pilaster surround, an entablature, and a dentilled cornice, and in the right two bays is a cantedbay window. Above, the windows are sashes, those in the middle floor having dentilled cornices.[29]
A row of houses and shops in sandstone on a chamferedplinth, with quoins, and a roof partly in Welsh slate and partly tiled. They are in two storeys with cellars, and each unit has one bay. Steps lead up to the doors, wrought iron railings surround the cellar areas, and the shop has a bow window and a shop front.[30]
A terrace of ten houses of differing dates. Nos. 2–4 are in sandstone on a chamferedplinth, Nos. 5–8 are in brick, and Nos. 9–11 are stuccoed. They have two storeys, some have cellars, and the roofs are mainly in green slate with some Welsh slate. The earlier houses have one bay, and the later houses have two. The windows are sashes, and the doorways have various surrounds, some with cornices on bracketed consoles.[32]
A shop with residential accommodation above, it is stuccoed with pilasters, a dentilledcornice, and a hipped tile roof. There are two storeys and three bays. In the ground floor is a shop front with an entrance flanked by columns. To the left is a doorway with a moulded surround. The windows are sashes in architraves, those in the middle floor having cornices on console brackets.[33]
A stone house, divided into two flats, on a chamferedplinth with quoins and a green slate roof. There are two storeys and three bays, and a lower recessed two-bay extension on the left. The doorway has a Tuscan doorcase with an open pediment, and a fanlight. The windows in the main part are sashes with stone surrounds, and in the extension they are casements.[37]
A sandstone house with a green slate roof and octagonal chimney stacks. It has one storey with an attic, and two bays. The doorway has a chamfered surround, a shaped lintel, and a hood mould, and the windows have pointed heads and hood moulds.[39]
The barn is in sandstone with quoins and a green slate roof. It has one storey with lofts, and contains a large segmental cart entrance, a plank door, a casement window, and ventilation slits on two levels.[40]
Originally a house and later used as a school, it was extended in the late 19th century. The building is rendered on a chamferedplinth, and has pilasteredquoins, a panelled string course, and a Welsh slate roof. There are two storeys and three bays, with a single-storey two-bay extension to the right. The doorway has a Tuscan porch and a decorated frieze, and the windows are sashes with stone surrounds. The rear is in sandstone, and there are round-headed staircase windows.[7][42]
A pair of houses with brick at the front and sandstone at the rear, No. 13 having a rendered front. They have quoins, a Cumbrianslate roof, three storeys and one bay each. The doorways have fanlights and plain entablatures, and the windows, which are sashes, have moulded surrounds. Many original features have been retained inside the houses.[45]
The meeting house is in sandstone on a chamferedplinth with angle pilasters, a cornice and a hippedslate roof. It has one storey and a front of three bays containing sash windows with pilastered surrounds. At the sides are screen walls that have doorways with pilastered surrounds. The right doorway leads to two side entrances with a colonnade of cast iron columns. There is a two-storey single-bay extension to the right with external stone steps.[46][47]
The church is in sandstone on a chamferedplinth, and has string courses and a green slate roof. There are two storeys with a cellar, and five bays. Steps lead up to doors with a fanlight with a pilastered surround and a cornice on consoles. The ground floor windows have flat heads, and those in the upper storey have round heads. Attached to the church is a manse with rendered walls, a Welsh slate roof, a door with a radial fanlight in a surround with a false keystone. The windows are sashes.[46][48]
A house and a shop, stuccoed, with a modillioned gutter and a slate roof. There are three storeys and each part has two bays. In the ground floor are a shop front, two doorways, and a double sash window. The windows in the upper floors are sashes, those in the middle floor having ornamented hoods.[50]
The gas lamp post originally stood in the market place. It was moved from there in 1872, it was placed in a public park in 1924, and has since been returned to the market place. The lamp post is in cast iron, and consists of a fluted and decorated circular column on an octagonal plinth. At the top are ladder brackets and an octagonal lantern.[51]
The pump originally stood in the market place. It was moved from there in 1872, it was placed in a public park in 1924, and has since been returned to the market place. The pump is in cast iron, and consists of a fluted tapering column with a shaped cap and a projecting nozzle. There is a handle at the rear and a bracket to support buckets. On the pump is an inscribed cast iron plate.[52]
The memorial is a drinking fountain standing in the centre of Market Place. It is in polished Shapgranite, and consists of a square base with fountain bowls on each side on a stepped plinth. On the sides of the base are aluminium bronze panels with 340 castings representing acts of mercy. Above the base is an egg-and-dartcornice and pediments containing medallion busts, and on top of the base is a pyramidal spire that is gilded and decorated with foliage. This is surmounted by a gilt ball and cross finial.[46][53]
This originated as a grammar school designed by C. J. Ferguson, and was later converted into the library wing of a comprehensive school. It is in sandstone with a green slate roof, and has two storeys and a U-shaped plan with gabled extensions. On the roof is a square wooden cupola surmounted by a pointed spire with lucarnes. The windows are mullioned, and one is large and canted. The entrance has a stone architrave.[46][55]
The war memorial stands between two chapels in Wigton Cemetery. It consists of an obelisk in polished grey granite with a domed cap in pink granite, on a pink granite plinth with a scroll on each corner and a grey granite cap and foot. Near the top of the obelisk is a bronze wreath on each side, and the memorial stands on two square steps. On the shaft and the plinth are inscriptions and the names of those lost in the two World Wars.[56]
