Including Garden Wall

This is a mid-16th century house, originally one dwelling, later divided into two, located on Dean Street in Crediton, and incorporating the property at 5 Cockles Lane, along with garden walls to the latter. The exterior is constructed of dressed local volcanic trap stone and slatestone, with a slate roof and a prominent stone stack with a brick shaft. The building follows an overall 'T' plan, with a rear wing. No. 5 Cockles Lane occupies the right-hand end of the main range, a rear wing at right angles, and a room located above Cockles Lane. The original arrangement likely included a two-room main range with a cross passage entrance to the left of centre, a hall heated by a front stack, and an unheated room to the left, complemented by a rear wing with its own end stack.

The front facade presents an asymmetrical arrangement of two bays plus one window (for the room over Cockles Lane). A grand, shallowly projecting front lateral stack features large dressed quoins, shouldered above the eaves with a stone shaft, which is partially replaced with brick. All ground floor openings are framed by relieving arches. A front door is located to the left of the stack, potentially the original location of the cross passage entrance. Late 19th or early 20th century three-light casement windows with glazing bars are present on the ground and first floors to the left of the stack. No. 5 Cockles Lane has a matching three-light casement window to the ground floor on its right, a first-floor three-light casement, and a 12-pane sash window in the room over the passageway, from the 18th century. A front door for No. 5 is found on the return elevation accessible from Cockles Lane. The rear wing of No. 5 has a gable end with a rear stack and a casement window in the gable wall, protected by an old timber lintel. No. 5 benefits from a tall, roughcast cob garden wall with tiled coping, likely replacing earlier thatch.

Inside No. 5 Cockles Lane, noteworthy features include the fireplace to the lateral stack, with volcanic trap jambs and a massive chamfered lintel. Original chamfered cross beams and joists are also visible, with the original stops buried within the plaster. A keeping place is set into the rear wall. The staircase rises against the rear wall of the main room within the service wing. Both the rear wing and main range have side-pegged jointed cruck roof construction, with collars and through purlins. Inspection of the main range roof apex revealed a fire-charred purlin. One cruck remains visible at the front end of the main range, suggesting an original hipped roof and that the room above Cockles Lane is a later addition. The building possesses significant importance as a late medieval town house and a rare survivor in Crediton, given that many of the town’s historic buildings were destroyed by fires in the 18th century.