Cornish Stone Company Limited Gift Horse The Couch W J Prior And Son

The Cornish Stone Company Limited, known as Gift Horse, along with W.J. Prior and Son, is a group of five shops arranged around a courtyard in Padstow, which was the old market place until about 1870. The buildings date from the early 19th century and feature a stone rubble base that is partly rendered and painted, with some areas hung with slate on the first floor. The roofs are made of cement washed scantle slate and asbestos slate, with brick stacks positioned axially and laterally at the front.

The triangular plan of the buildings encircles an open courtyard that was historically used for sheep, pig, and cattle markets. The east rounded corner includes a shop with two shop fronts, while the south elevation facing the Strand contains two shops. The west front to Market Place features the central entrance to the courtyard, flanked by W.J. Prior and Son on the south and Gift Horse and Cornish Stone Company Limited on the north.

The exterior is two storeys high. The east elevation facing the harbour has a rounded corner with 20th-century shop windows and doors on the ground floor, along with two hornless 12-pane sash windows on the first floor. The south elevation facing the Strand is hung with asbestos slates, while the west elevation facing Market Place is hung with rag slates. This elevation has two 20th-century shop fronts to the left, a partly blocked entrance to the courtyard, and a 20th-century shop front and door to the right. The first floor features four 16-pane sash windows to the left and an early 19th-century 16-pane sash window to the right. The interior has not been inspected.