The Old Manse

The Old Manse comprises a pair of houses, numbers 49 and 50, built around 1864, situated on a prominent, wedge-shaped site on a steep slope in Dartmouth. The building incorporates numbers 36 and 37 Lower Street, built over what were originally shops. It is constructed of snecked limestone with painted stone ashlar dressings to the lower and rear walls, plastered and timber-framed upper walls, stone rubble stacks, and a brick stack with a tall Tudor-style terracotta chimneypot and slate roof.

The architectural style is eclectic High Victorian. The Newcomen Road elevation is two storeys high, with an irregular, two-window gabled front, presenting an unbalanced "M" shape to the left (number 50) followed by a separate gabled crosswing (number 49). The lower part of the Newcomen Road front incorporates a plinth of snecked limestone. A distinctive internal porch to number 50 features a cranked, triangular arch supported by a slender column with a large, foliage-carved capital. The Lower Street elevation is four storeys high. The facade echoes its style to the north, featuring a brick stack and projecting section with shaped brackets and a decorative wrought-iron finial. The Lower Street shops retain original stone fronts, recessed doorways, and panelled pilasters with Corinthian capitals and large ball finials. Both Lower Street houses have regular, three-window fronts with chamfered stone window surrounds and original timber windows with moulded mullions and transoms; some windows have been replaced. Dormer windows are present in the roof, with cranked-arch heads, shaped bargeboards, and half-hips or gables.

The interiors remain uninspected but are likely to contain features of interest. The building was constructed in 1864 to accompany the construction of Newcomen Road, designed to connect Southtown to the town quays. It is included on the register primarily for its group value within the surrounding area.