Trow & Sons – a “landmark” shop in Royal Wootton Bassett whose origins go back to the 18th Century – is to be sold at auction this month.
According to Moore Allen and Innocent, the Cirencester-based estate agents who are marketing the property, there is now a chance for another owner to “breathe life back into the famous shop,” which will be auctioned at the premises at 6 pm on Thursday, 26 October with a guide price of £325,000.
Founded in the 1700s when the Trow family ran the premises as a building company, decorators, funeral director, and hardware shop, Trow & Sons was most recently a wool shop run by the late Mary Trow until 2013.
A spokesperson for Moore Allen and Innocent said that for their money, the new owner will get a lot of property as the plot is “quite extensive.”
They explained, “from the High Street, the casual observer can see the Grade II listed symmetrical shop front with large bay windows, which were until recently stocked with displays of brightly-coloured knitwear.”
The property itself commands a central High Street position and is just “a stone’s throw away” from the Old Town Hall, a circa 1690 building elevated on 15 stone columns. Royal Wootton Bassett High Street is flanked on both sides with parking spaces, and three are directly outside the premises.
Through the shop door, the retail space measures 7.6m by 5.6m; a drawing room and bedroom directly above are of a similar size combined. At the very top of the main property is a large (9.2m by 5.1m) attic room, and a further bedroom, while below the shop are two cellars.
But, according to Moore Allen, it’s what lies behind the shop that “offers the real surprise.”
Running for 35 metres, 23 of which is over two storeys, is a linear property variously used as living rooms, a kitchen and utility room, store, and a barn on the ground floor, with bedrooms, bathroom, and further storage above. There is also vehicle access and a triple garage to the rear.
Viewings are offered every Saturday between 10.30am and noon. For more information, visit www.mooreallen.co.uk or call 01285 648100.
