Bela Down House

Bela Down House is a block of two houses built in the mid-19th century, likely designed as two similar homes, with the eastern quarter now known as No 19. This timber-framed house is plastered and stands two storeys tall, featuring four windows under a hipped slate roof that has two symmetrical central red brick chimneys. The central gabled porch is enclosed and includes a panelled door flanked by Tuscan pilasters and topped with a simple pediment. The house has flush sash windows with 2/2 panes, and there is a larger four-light window on the ground floor at the west end of the front, which may have been part of a blocked doorway to a former carpenter's shop. The west end of the building once served as a Post Office and has a modern panelled door set in a 19th-century moulded doorcase next to the western corner. Notably, there are unusual eight-paned sliding windows on the first floor at the rear. Bela Down House is a picturesque example of a 19th-century village house that contributes significantly to the streetscape and is part of a diverse group of plastered houses within the village Conservation Area. It is included for its group value.