Collaford House

DARTMOUTH

SX874510 COLLAFORD LANE 673-1/8/90 (West side) 14/09/49 No.3 Collaford House (Formerly Listed as: COLLAFORD LANE No.4 Collaford House)

GV II

Merchant's house. Lease dated 1548 (see sources) but basement apparently medieval and substantially remodelled in mid C17; later modernisations including a major mid C20 refurbishment. Mixed construction; thick stone rubble side walls and plastered timber-framing on front and back walls above first-floor level; right lateral stone rubble stack with rendered chimneyshaft; slate roof. PLAN: single-room plan, end onto Collaford Lane. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; one-window range. First-floor jetty carried on corbelled ends of side walls. Basement has red sandstone ashlar 2-centred arch which contains an old, possibly C18, plank door hung on large wrought-iron strap hinges; C20 window with glazing bars to left. At ground-floor level, doorway on left side with stone steps off the lane fenced by a timber balustrade (a pre-refurbishment photograph shows one very similar but without the present turned balusters). Doorway contains a C20 top-glazed 6-panel door. Main window this level a 16-pane sash with an overlight, reused from a late C18/early C19 doorway and has a radial fanlight pattern of glazing bars (another similar window in the right sidewall). Small window with glazing bars to right. First floor has heavily-rebuilt oriel with 3 forward lights, casements with glazing bars, shaped timber brackets and hipped roof. Attic above has 2-light casement with glazing bars under gable with shaped bargeboards. INTERIOR: Largely the result of C20 refurbishment. Old crossbeams are exposed and are of large scantling but are crudely finished - only ground-floor front one is neatly chamfered. Fireplaces are blocked with later grates and chimneypieces. The stair, straight flight to first and newel to second floor, is all C20, although the top landing balustrade with its turned balusters is probably late C17. Roof is inaccessible. HISTORY: The owner has a set of photographs; before, during and after the C20 refurbishment, and also a copy of the earliest lease, dated 1548, from John Coplestone to Richard Coleford. Photographs show door in present position. An important component of a good group of listed buildings in the vicinity of the Church of St Saviour (qv). (1548 lease: DD 61369).

Listing NGR: SX8772151319