The Bank House (The National Westminster Bank And The Wool Shop)

CHULMLEIGH FORE STREET (east side), SS 6814 - 6914 Chulmleigh 7/72 The Bank House (National Westminster Bank and The Wool Shop) 20.2.67 GV II House, front part used as shop and bank. Early C19, with possibly some earlier fabric concealed. Stuccoed stone rubble. Slate roof with gable end brick stacks with toothed courses to the capping. Lions head guttering and eaves cornice. Plan: 2 rooms deep, virtually symmetrical, with principal front room to each side of through-passage, that to right altered in C20 and used as bank, that to left as shop. Kitchen to rear of right-hand room, and heated room to rear of left-hand room, used as store-room. Principal staircase immediately to left of through-passage to rear of left-hand room, and secondary, former servants staircase to left of kitchen fireplace, now disused. 2 outhouses at right angles to the front entrance and to each side of the rear courtyard, have been connected to the main range and converted to form part of dwelling, that to left side formerly a lofted stables; however it has had an axial stack (the shaft now demolished) inserted in the C19, and probably functioned as a kitchen when the original house was divided into 2 occupations. Exterior: 2 storeys. 4 bays. Rusticated quoins. C19 fenestration, all 12 paned sashes to upper storey, the 2 right-hand windows with horns. Ground floor has 2 2 paned sashes to right and single 4 paned sash to left of 2 doorways flanking shop window. The right-hand principal doorway has pilastered doorcase, panelled reveals and C19 6 panelled door, the entablature carried around over the canted shop window with 4 large panes and smaller shop doorway to left with pilastered doorcase and 3- quarters glazed door. Interior: Front left-hand room used as shop retains late C19 chimneypiece with detached colonnettes and register grate, flanked by alcoves. Doorways to each side of through-passage to rear rooms have segmental pointed Gothick arched surrounds with original 4 panelled door to right. C19 joinery principally intact to upper storey. Cobbled floor to former stables, fireplace has segmental brick arch. C19 roof structure with 5 king post trusses. A timber observatory platform was erected in the roofspace in the early C20.

Listing NGR: SS6875414206