Police Station / cottage, built in 1904 for Berkshire Constabulary to serve the community of Thatcham. Police office, holding cell and Sergeant’s flat above.
Alterations in 1948 and extended in 1966, when police houses were built to the rear. The internal layout has changed much over the years with the cell being converted into a telephone / electrical switch room in the 1950s and the residential flat becoming offices in the 1960s.
The building has recently undergone a major refurbishment and conversion to 5 residential units.
The Cotswold Archaeology historic building appraisal conducted in 2011 describes the property as:- In the Arts & Crafts vernacular – revival style, well detailed and well built. Visually lively with tall chimneys, steep overhanging, tile hung and barge boarded gables, a bay window and buttress, white painted timber work and red and grey brick.
The existence of drawings documenting its original condition and the later changes add to its historical value, allowing a clear understanding of the changes it has undergone in the 20th century and their context.
The former police station is a building from between 1840-1919 which is characteristic of the period, designed by a locally important county surveyor and having a significant and distinctive role in the local history of Thatcham’s civic, political, cultural and social life.
The building still forms a significant visual element of the streetscape of the Bath Road in this area of Thatcham.
Location
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