13-16 Free Cottages

13-16 Free Cottages is a block of four cottages built in 1862 as part of a group of free cottages for the elderly, which includes a total of 42 units. The cottages were funded by William Gibbs. They are constructed from red brick with painted stone dressings and feature slate roofs, stacks with rendered shafts, and cast iron rainwater goods, all in a Tudor style.

The cottages are located on a bluff overlooking the River Exe and are grouped with a school and church, also funded by Gibbs. The design consists of four units with paired front doors in the center and entrances on the sides for the outer units. There are single-storey service blocks added at the rear.

The exterior is two storeys at the outer bays, which are gabled and project slightly forward, creating a symmetrical four-bay front. The deep eaves and verges are supported by brackets. The openings are made of painted stone with quoined jambs, featuring two and three-light transomed mullioned windows with hoodmoulds and 20th-century glazing. There is a central gabled porch with a stone Tudor arched doorway and plank doors, along with matching porches on the sides.

The interior has not been inspected but may contain interesting features. Historically, Mount Dinham was purchased by John Dinham to prevent its use as a fairground site. William Gibbs, a guano merchant and banker from Tyntesfield in Somerset, was born in Exeter, and an effigy of him can be found in St Michael's Church next to the free cottages. This block is part of an important group of Victorian philanthropic buildings designed together.