Graffiti dating back to the 19th century has been found in a building on Berriew Street in Welshpool.

Hughes Architects discovered the writing, carved into stone walls, as it renovated the building ready to move into at the end of the month.

There are a few inscriptions on the wall, consisting of names and dates.

The most prominent piece of graffiti, and the most accessible, reads ‘G A James June 1897’.

Another reads ‘H.J G.A.J April 28 1896 1897’.

The wall where the graffiti was found is to the rear of the property; which will become a conference room.

County Times:

Principal Architect and Managing Director of Hughes Architects, Doug Hughes, said he will keep the wall open brick, so people can still see the history behind the building.

“It’s not been looked after for generations and generations,” Mr Hughes said.

The building also has an upstairs, which will be turned into two one bedroom flats. These should be completed at the end of March.

Hughes Architects did buy the building a year ago, but with unexpected structural issues, it’s taken longer than expected for the refurbishment to be completed; and for the office move to take place. Currently, the firm is still on Broad Street.

The building, and the one alongside it, where clothes shop Carreg is, are listed buildings dating back to the early 1830s.

They were built as a pair of shops with accommodation, and symmetrically planned with a central round-arched passage entry. There are Greek key decorations over the doors and windows. The original shop fronts each have three slender fluted columns carrying the moulded cornice and flanking the inner doorway and window, divided by a single slim mullion (likely to be late C19 or early C20 replacements of the original glazing). Greek key decoration to frieze over doors and windows. Upper windows are 12-pane sashes to first floor, 6-pane sashes to second storey, either side of the blind central windows over the passage. All these openings have flat arched gauged brick heads. Listed as a pair of early C19 shop buildings, surviving intact with shop-fronts of exceptional quality.

Do you know the people and stories behind the names? Contact our reporter Josie Le Vay on josie.levay@countytimes.co.uk or on 01938557339.