Pownes House

Pownes House is a town house dating to circa 1740, located on the south side of High Street, Crediton. The front elevation is constructed of Flemish bond brick with traces of red mortar in the joints, while the rear is English bond brick. The roof is tiled, likely replacing slate, and features brick stacks with corbelled caps. The building is double depth, with two rooms wide and a wide central stair hall.

The finely-detailed front has five bays, with the centre three bays projecting slightly. Two granite steps lead to the front door, which has eight fielded panels, set within a pedimented doorcase featuring fluted pilasters, a triglyph frieze, and mutules. All windows have moulded flush frames and flat gauged brick arches with projecting keyblocks. Original 12-pane sashes are found throughout, including some panes of crown glass. The first-floor sashes have thick glazing bars. The rear elevation contains a fine rear door with glazed panels and curving panels below the middle rail. One original 12-pane flush frame sash with a segmental head is present on the ground floor to the left. Other windows are timber sashes and casements, mostly in original embrasures, with two blocked windows. A flat-roofed projecting rear right bay features three round-headed glazed doors with transoms.

The interior features a fine open well staircase with an open string, turned balusters, shaped brackets, and a dado with fielded panels and a moulded rail. Joinery includes deep skirtings, panelled shutters, and fielded panel doors. Original chimney pieces remain, including an Ashburton marble in the ground floor front left room, and two timber chimney pieces on the first floor. The rear left room contains early 18th-century wall panelling, a timber boxed cornice, and reused/extended Edwardian bay detailing. One chimney piece is flanked by fluted pilasters with a triglyph frieze above a single panel, closely resembling a design found at No. 11, Union Road. A late 18th-century chimney piece has a plain Italian marble lintel and jambs, framed by Adam-style pilasters with a boar hunting scene in the central panel. Circa 1860 encaustic tiling is present throughout the entrance passage. First floor rooms to the front flank a pair of closets. A service stair leads to the attic, formerly for servants. The roof contains three trusses with threaded purlins and vertical posts from the tie beams to the principals, with struts above the collars, all fixed with pegs. Pownes House is considered a very complete mid-18th century town house.