7 JOHN STREET

7 John Street, Ashbourne

One of Ashbourne’s most recognisable buildings inherits its name from John Howell and Thomas Marsden, who traded as wine merchants and grocers nearby from as early as the 1860s.

Today, the building is home to a deli and fine wine shop: Deli No7 at Howell & Marsdens.

Its restoration has been described as a ‘beautiful transformation of a dilapidated building’. As would be expected of a building of this age, rotten wood has been replaced and old windows and peeling plaster removed. Removing a large chimney breast, running through the centre of the building from ground to second floors, presented a greater challenge. Its remnants were repurposed as the foundation for a bespoke sales gondola of curved oak shelves and storage – maintaining the chimney’s heritage without its inconvenience.

The colour scheme was chosen to be in keeping with the history of the building and specifically to match the Grade-II listed Green Man sign that hangs outside the building. (The Green Man Inn served as a meeting place for official bodies, local groups, and functions, and was used by Princess Victoria as a comfort stop on a tour of Derbyshire in 1823.)