Charity House

Charity House is a merchant’s house dating to the mid-17th century, with possible medieval origins and remodelling in the mid-17th century. It was thoroughly refurbished in the mid-20th century. The construction is mixed, featuring local stone rubble side walls and a timber-framed front, with a stone rubble stack serving as a right party wall. The roof is slate.

The house is three storeys high, with a cellar, and has a two-window first-floor range. The front is jettied at the first-floor level. The cellar and ground floor have exposed timber framing from the 17th century. Steps from Collaford Lane provide access to the cellar. A wide opening with an ovolo-moulded headbeam and jambs contains a 20th-century plank door and a matching window. The ground floor has close-studded timber framing with scratch-moulded studs. To the left is a set of stone steps leading to a platform in front of the ground-floor doorway, which has a solid doorframe with an ogee-moulded surround and complex stepped scroll stops. A small original single-light window with an ovolo-moulded surround is located to the left of the doorway. To the right is an original oriel window, supported by shaped timber brackets and square corner posts carved with stylised foliage. The ovolo-moulded headbeam indicates that the oriel originally featured five narrow forward lights, although it now has three casements with glazing bars. The first-floor jetty is boarded, and the facade above is plastered. Small 20th-century windows on the first and second floors illuminate the staircases. The first floor has a restored 17th-century oriel, a smaller version of the ground-floor one, and the second floor has a 20th-century three-light casement with glazing bars. A gable is above.

The interior largely consists of the results of the mid-20th century refurbishment, including a 20th-century staircase and blocked fireplaces with 20th-century grates. No earlier carpentry or joinery is visible. The roof was not inspected.