17-20 Free Cottages

17-20 Free Cottages is a block of four cottages built between 1861 and 1862 as part of a group of free cottages for the elderly, which includes a total of 42 historic units. The cottages were funded by William Gibbs and are constructed of red brick with painted stone dressings, featuring slate roofs, stacks with rendered shafts, and cast iron rainwater goods. They are designed in a Tudor style.

The cottages are situated on a bluff overlooking the River Exe and are grouped with a school and church, also funded by Gibbs. The layout 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 to the rear.

The exterior features two storeys and a single storey with a symmetrical four-bay front. The two-storey outer bays are gabled and project slightly forward. The deep eaves and verges are supported by brackets. The openings are made of painted stone with quoined jambs, and there are two and three-light transomed mullioned windows with hoodmoulds and 20th-century glazing. A central gabled porch has a stone Tudor arched doorway with paired plank doors, and there are gabled porches on the returns.

Although the interior has not been inspected, it may still contain features of interest. Historically, Mount Dinham was purchased by John Dinham to prevent it from being used as a fairground site. William Gibbs, a guano merchant and banker from Exeter, is commemorated by an effigy in St Michael's Church, located next to the free cottages. This building is part of an important group of Victorian philanthropic structures designed together.