Cary Estate Office

TORQUAY

SX9163 PALK STREET 885-1/17/202 (West side) Cary Estate Office

GV II

Office of the Cary Estate. Probably 1859 when the building became the Devon and Cornwall Bank (Ellis, p.276). Became the Cary Estate Office in 1908. Rock-faced breccia, brought to course; polished pink granite, terracotta and Ham Hill dressings; slate roof, rounded at the north end with a fleche, gabled to south; stacks with brick shafts with cornices. Basically Italianate style with some Rococco detail. PLAN: On a prominent corner site facing north up Fleet Street with a rounded corner. EXTERIOR: Tall and narrow. 3 storeys and attic 5-bay rounded north end, 4 bays to each side. Bays divided by pilasters, rusticated to ground and first floors, panelled to second floor. Projecting cornice at first-floor level, platbands to second floor and below dentil eaves cornice. Large ground-floor windows with moulded architraves and rounded upper corners, C20 glazing with glazing bars. Other windows glazed with 2-pane sashes. First-floor windows with swan-necked pediments and moulded architraves; second-floor windows flanked by pilasters. Centre front bay has segmental pediment over first-floor window and pedimented dormer above eaves cornice. Flat-roofed single-storey bay to left of curved end has pilasters flanking on 2-tier plate glass window. Large round-headed doorway on east end in wider end bay with moulded architrave and keystone, paired windows above. Rear end wall stuccoed with first-floor access onto 3-bay single-storey flat-roofed block at south end. This has a pretty 1830s anthemia cast-iron balustrade. INTERIOR: Not inspected but may retain features of interest. The Cary family, along with the Palk family, were responsible for the development of Torquay in the C19. (Ellis CA: An Historical Survey of Torquay, 2nd edition: 1930-: P.276).

Listing NGR: SX9181363557