3, 4 And 5, Sowton Lane

Nos. 3, 4, and 5 Sowton Lane are three cottages that were originally a single farmhouse, dating from the early 17th century. They were remodeled and partially rebuilt in the 18th century, with some 20th-century additions. The front wall and rear wing are made of brick, while the right-hand end and rear wall are constructed from roughcast cob on Heavitree stone footings, topped with a slate gabled-end roof.

The building has a three-room plan, though the exact position of the original main entrance is unclear. It may have been a baffle-entry, with an axial stack heating both the service end to the right and the hall to the left, and a stair located at the rear of the stack opposite the entrance. Alternatively, the entrance could have been situated between the hall and the left-hand room, where a now-covered screen may indicate an original through passage. If this were the case, the hall stack would have been at the opposite end of the room from the passage, which is an unusual arrangement for Devon. The left-hand external end features a stack.

There is an 18th-century wing at the rear of the left-hand room. The building is two stories high, with a front that has a four-window range, featuring three-light casement windows on the first floor and an additional later single-light window. No. 5 has an unusual doorway from the 18th century, characterized by a wide shouldered arch in brick, with a three-light casement window to its left. Nos. 3 and 4 have large 20th-century lean-to porches. There are extensive late 20th-century additions at the rear.

Inside, the plank and muntin screen in No. 5 has been covered over. Nos. 3 and 4 have not been inspected, but it has been noted that No. 5 features a chamfered ceiling beam in the hall with scroll stops, as well as a chamfered fireplace lintel with complex moulded jambs. Both the lintel and the beam above it are curved at the center.