23 and 24 Fore Street

Two houses with commercial units on the ground floor, probably early 18th century, with later alterations.

The buildings are constructed from uncoursed granite rubble. Above the ground floor, the front elevation is slate-hung, except at the western end which is rendered; the slate to number 23 is Delabole slate. The roofs are pitched slate. Windows are timber throughout.

Both buildings follow a U-shaped plan, formed by a front range and long rear wings to each property. The eastern building's rear wing is slightly skewed, following the line of the burgage plot. A through-passage connects the two buildings.

The front (south) elevation rises three storeys across three window bays. A central through-passage at ground floor level leads to Symon's Terrace and is flanked by late 20th-century shopfronts. Number 23's shopfront projects with a flat roof; above it is a blocked window on the first floor and a 12-pane sash window on the second floor. Number 24 has two 12-pane sash windows on the second floor.

Both buildings have long rear (north) wings that are slightly lower than the front range. These appear to represent two construction phases but were complete by 1825. The southern section of number 23's wing is three-storeyed with a blocked doorway at ground floor level and two windows above, all with timber lintels featuring stopped roll-moulding; a further window was inserted at the top floor. The northern section is two-storey and four bays wide with uneven fenestration; ground-floor windows are blocked, and those above are six-over-six sash windows. Number 24's southern wing section is two-and-a-half storeys and two bays, with scattered fenestration and a central doorway all under granite lintels, and features gabled half-dormers. The northern section has three first-floor sash windows with three-over-three vertical panes and blocked ground-floor openings. At the far end stands a single-storey outshut and a late 20th-century external staircase. A slate-roofed pentice projects to the first floor at the rear of number 24, with a three-light casement beneath the eaves.

The ground-floor commercial unit of number 24 comprises a long front section stepping up to a rear space adjacent to the staircase wall, connected by a short corridor to three small rooms at the back. Though refitted in the early 21st century, exposed panels reveal granite rubble walls beneath the modern lining. The upper floors are accessed via an external door halfway along the rear wing. An early 21st-century timber staircase leads to the first floor, which has two spaces to the south and north, plus a smaller room occupying the pentice above the through-passage. During 2022 refitting works, historic elements survived behind modern stud-walling, including diagonal braces, horizontal timber boarding, and lath and plaster on the west wall. A 19th-century timber staircase south of the pentice room leads to the second floor; the rear wing's attic lies to its north. The roof structure comprises pegged trusses, tie beams, and clasped purlins.

The interior of number 23 above the shop unit is reported to have been heavily altered. The entire interior of the top floor of the front building is believed to have been removed. No information is available about the interior of number 23's rear wing.