53-55, Kington St Michael

Nos. 53 to 55 in Kington St Michael is a row of three houses, believed to have originally been a malt house. The buildings date from the 17th century and have been extended and altered over time. They are constructed of rubble stone with Bridgwater tile and stone slate roofs, standing two storeys high with an attic.

The original range, comprising Nos. 54 and 55 on the left, features a south end stack and a stepped roofline. The left section has two small 16-pane sash windows on the first floor and two ground floor triple casements. The next section includes a ground floor 20th-century window, doors leading to Nos. 55 and 54, and a 2-light mullion window on the right. The first floor has a 20th-century window, a pair of casements, and a triple casement.

No. 53, on the right, has a slightly raised roof and a large brick south end stack. Its stonework continues from No. 54, but the windows feature 19th-century flush ashlar surrounds. The east front has two windows and a door to the right. The adjacent properties, Nos. 50, 51 (which has a rear wing), and 52, have been significantly altered and are not of special interest.

Inside, No. 55 contains a short section of a heavily moulded beam, possibly from the 15th century and likely reused. No. 54 has a three-bay roof with tie-beam and collar trusses, where the tie-beams have been cut away. It features two tiers of purlins—lower trenched and upper tenoned—curved wind-braces, and common-rafter couples without a ridge-piece. The south end of the roof appears to be smoke-blackened. No. 53 has a later king-post truss roof.