78 And 79, High Street

A pair of adjoining houses at 78 and 79 High Street, Crediton, likely dating from the 1820s. Number 79 has been altered to incorporate a shop on the ground floor. The buildings are stuccoed with a slate roof and end stacks with brick shafts in the party wall. They are built on a double-depth plan, one room wide. The ground slopes away to the rear, where the houses have an additional storey, allowing for rear access and a service yard. To the front, the buildings are three storeys high, rising to four storeys at the rear. Each house has a single-window front and deep eaves supported by elaborately shaped brackets. A pilaster is located between the houses; it features a sunk moulding with an arched head on the right end of number 78, while the right end pilaster of number 79 is plain. Number 78 has a five-panel front door with an overlight containing geometric glazing bars, matching those of number 77. The first-floor window is a late 19th/early 20th century two-pane sash with margin panes; the second-floor window is a three-light casement with two panes per light. Number 79 retains its original windows on the first and second floors, being a twelve-pane sash and a 3/6-pane sash respectively. The ground floor of number 79 has a 20th-century plate glass shop window canted and leading to a door on the right side. Both houses have small, round-headed rear stair windows; the rear stair window of number 78 contains stained glass. The interior remains uninspected but is likely to contain features of interest. The tall rear elevations of the houses, overlooking small gardens and a service area paved with irregular volcanic trap stones, contribute to the visual appeal of the surrounding group of buildings. The buildings hold group value with other listed buildings along High Street.