The Old Bank House, Alliance Building Society And Lloyds Bank

An early 19th-century house, now divided into two commercial premises with a flat above, situated on the east side of Fore Street, Chulmleigh. The building is constructed of rendered stone rubble, possibly with some cob, and has a slate roof with gable ends. Brick stacks are located at the left gable and set back from the ridge in the centre. The original plan comprised a three-room layout with a through-passage. The principal room on the left side of the passage has a rear lateral stack and a small heated room beyond, accessible from a separate external entrance. There was an apparently unheated room to the right of the former passage. A 19th-century straight-run staircase is situated in an axial rear corridor, with former access from the rear of the passage. The exterior features a complete 19th-century fenestration pattern of hornless 16-pane sashes, with rusticated quoins and pilasters. There are two 19th-century pilastered doorcases, both with six-panelled doors. The right-hand doorcase is the principal entrance and incorporates an entablature and panelled reveals, while the left-hand doorcase has a continuous entablature over the adjacent sash window. The principal room on the left side of the passage retains a 19th-century moulded plaster cornice and a marble chimney-piece. The 19th-century staircase features stick balusters, a moulded string, and a handrail ramped up to turned newels. The upper storey remains largely unaltered, and most of the 19th-century joinery is intact.