Free Cottages

Free Cottages are a pair of cottages built in 1862 as part of a group for the elderly, funded by William Gibbs. They are constructed of red brick with painted stone dressings and feature a slate roof, brick chimney stacks, and cast iron rainwater goods, all in a Tudor style.

The cottages are located on a bluff overlooking the River Exe, grouped with a school and church, also funded by Gibbs. Positioned at the entrance to this complex and visible from Dinham Road, they exhibit more architectural detail than the other buildings in the group. The two units are accessed from the sides.

The cottages are two storeys tall, with openings framed in painted stone and quoined jambs. The front is asymmetrical, featuring gables with deep eaves and pierced curly bargeboards. The left gable has a half dormer with a one-light window above a Tudor-arched doorway, while the right gable has a broad projecting bay with a two-light window above a parapetted canted bay window. There is a similar doorway on the right side.

The interior has not been inspected but may contain interesting features. Historically, the site was purchased by John Dinham to prevent it from becoming a fairground. Gibbs, who was born in Exeter and became a banker after working as a guano merchant, has an effigy in St Michael's Church nearby. This pair of cottages is part of an important Victorian complex of philanthropic buildings designed together.