74, High Street

BARNSTAPLE

SS5533SE HIGH STREET 684-1/7/148 (West side) 19/01/51 No.74

GV II

House, now used as offices. Early or mid C17. Red brick in a rough English bond with thick mortar joints, the front wall being of timber-framing, jettied in the top storey; lower part of ground storey in right-hand side wall (facing Holland Walk) is of stone rubble, as is the left-hand side wall at the front. Rear part of this wall, visible from No.75 (qv), was of exposed brick in the upper storey, when first seen in 1967, but has since been rendered. The jettied front now has slatehanging in the 2nd storey with another panel of it in the middle of the right-hand side wall, this added when building restored in 1971. Slated roofs, the front roof parallel to street, the rear roof at right-angles. 2 large brick chimney-stacks in right-hand side wall each with a pair of diagonally set shafts on top. In 1967 the rear part of the left hand side wall had a similar stack with only one shaft; it is not known if this still exists. Plan is one room wide and 2 rooms deep with stair compartment (for C19 stair) in the middle. A peculiarity is that the stair compartment and rear room are wider, projecting slightly into the back of the plot to No.75 (qv). 3 storeys, 1-window range; this was wholly reconstructed in 1971, except for the side walls. Shop in ground storey with part roof over, canted by a window in 2nd storey, 2 casement windows of 2 lights each in 3rd storey. The upper storey windows roughly resemble the C19 ones that were there in 1967, except that sashes have been replaced by casements. The timber-framing removed dated from C19, although there were ovolo-moulded uprights in the 2nd storey, probably belonging to an oriel window; these may still be in position, plastered in. 3rd-storey jetty is supported on the right by a concrete corbel; it replaced one described as a sham fabricated out of pieces of wood'. On the left is a large stone corbel composed of 2 sandstone and 1 limestone blocks, all 3 ovolo-moulded. The walling above it was rebuilt in 1971. Front to Holland Walk is dominated by the 2 large chimneys; upper-storey windows and display window in ground storey are all of 1971. INTERIOR: has old floor and roof timbers; fireplaces with plain wood lintels. HISTORICAL NOTE: the title deeds extend back to 1674. No.74 wasthe landes of William Sallisbury and Nicholas Cutlief' in 1617, and in 1674 it was sold by Elizabeth and Mary Stephens, spinsters, to Thomas Harris of Barnstaple, tanner. The actual occupant in 1674 was their tenant, William Bond, who was succeeded later in the C17 by William Allen. By 1773 it was known as the Three Cupps. The building is important as a rare example of early brickwork in Devon; the mixture of brick and jettied timber-framing is particularly remarkable and may be unique on the western side of England.

Listing NGR: SS5575633294