4 Fore Street

Former merchant’s house built in 1603. Remodelled, extended, and re-fronted in the mid-C19.

MATERIALS: built of local Culm sandstone rubble that has been rendered. The roof is covered in slate tiles. Gable-end brick chimney stacks.

EXTERIOR: the two-storey principal elevation is arranged as four bays with dressed rusticated stone quoins; the three bays to the right form the original extent of the early-C17 house, whilst the bay to the left is a mid-C19 extension. The late-C19 recessed doorway has a four-panel door within a glazed surround, and panelled reveals. Pilasters and console brackets support the entablature, and above is an inserted mid-C20, five-light oriel window. The other windows are two-pane hornless sash windows with margin glazing to all but the narrower ground-floor window to the central bay. This window denotes the position of an earlier doorway. All of these windows have moulded architraves and bracketed sills. There is a plat band at first-floor level and a dentilled eaves cornice beneath the moulded gutter box. A wide, late-C19 or early-C20 panelled door to the extreme left-hand side of the façade gives access to the rear of the property.

The rubble stone rear wall of the C17 house is extant. C19 and C20 rear additions.

INTERIOR: features of note include a C17-style plaster ceiling; a C19 staircase with turned and fluted newel posts and balusters to a scrolled handrail; C19 marble fireplaces to the front and rear ground floor rooms; and C19 pedimented doorcases.