26 High Street
(Ludgate House)
Drawing and text by kind permission of Jim Bates.

This building is a splendid example of Victorian street architecture, flamboyant and unashamedly commercial. It was designed as a department store and built in 1890.


This shop is one of a fine parade that lines the north side of the High Street. "More window than wall" it suggests the influence of Amsterdam and Antwerp, the emphasis on the vertical with tall windows and detail.