The Toll Bar Cafe

This is a merchant's house, later used as a toll house and now a commercial cafe with residential accommodation above. It likely dates back to the late medieval period, with alterations occurring in the 16th, 17th, and later centuries. The exterior is constructed of dressed granite with granite dressings to part of the front, although the remainder is rendered, supported by a probable timber frame for the upper floors. The roof is steeply pitched and covered with bitumen-grouted slate.

The building has a single-depth plan with a rear extension and a deep, old wing set at a right angle to the through passage. A first-floor passage once connected the building to the Ship Inn on Trafalgar Square, but this was removed in the 20th century to allow larger vehicles to pass.

The exterior is three storeys high and has an irregular arrangement of windows. A wide 16th or 17th century granite mullioned window occupies the first floor, featuring a central king mullion, a hoodmould, hollow chamfers, and 20th-century leaded glazing. The king mullion appears rebated, possibly for external shutters. A leaded window to the left of the building was formerly the doorway to the first-floor passage over the road. The second floor has a pair of windows to the left and a single window on the right, all with 20th-century horned sash windows with glazing bars. The ground floor contains a mid-19th century shop front, featuring a six-pane shop window and a 20th-century door to its left. To the right of the shop window are a 20th-century six-panel door, and another modern shop front under a timber lintel. An open passageway on the far left features a 17th-century plank and muntin partition on its left side.

The ground floor interior has no other visible features of archaeological or architectural significance. The upper floors were inaccessible during the survey, but are likely to contain original or old floor and roof structures of interest. The building’s relationship with the Ship Inn, to which it was formerly linked by a first-floor passage acting as a gatehouse, enhances its group value and importance.