Ferry View, Ferry Steps And Nos. 50-51

The property at Ferry View, Ferry Steps, and numbers 50-51 comprises a pair of cottages, now three dwellings and a restaurant, dating from around 1800. The construction utilizes rubble stone walls, which have been cement rendered, and features Welsh slate roofs covering the main range, a lean-to extension, and dormer windows. Timber frames house the windows and doors. The door hoods are felt-lined.

The building’s plan includes double-depth houses with 20th-century extensions to the rear (west) and a lean-to extension to the north. It is oriented to face south-east. The front elevation is rendered and marked with bands, and features a coupled doorway leading to numbers 49 and 50, complete with part-glazed doors and a fanlight. One of the doorways is currently out of use. To the right of the glazed door to number 50 are 19th-century multi-paned windows. Sash windows are present across the elevation. An early to mid-19th-century shop window, characterized by a deep reveal and slender timber glazing bars with a foil design to the top, is located to the right of the glazed door to number 50, incorporating a window box with ornate ironwork. Stone stairs and a walkway with 20th-century railings ascend from pavement level to the entranceways. A 19th-century lean-to structure serves as a covered shop entranceway on the north elevation, accessed by stone steps leading to a shop door. Four dormer windows are incorporated into the south-facing roof slope. Stone steps lead up the south side of the property.

The interior was not inspected in 2009, although number 50 is now a restaurant with an open-plan eating area and a separate kitchen.

Historically, Salcombe was a small coastal town focused on shipbuilding and sailing in the 19th century. The buildings along Fore Street were established from the 17th and 18th centuries, often combining shops on the ground floor with residential accommodation above. Salcombe’s prosperity peaked in the mid-19th century, with tourism eventually becoming the main industry after the arrival of the railway in the late 19th century.

Numbers 49-51 appear on Ordnance Survey Maps from 1886, 1905, and 1932, showing their current footprint, including the steps on the road front and the small connected structure to the north. The buildings have undergone alterations and updates in the 20th century and currently serve as holiday accommodation and a restaurant.

The group value context of this Grade II listed building recognizes it as a good example of an architecturally appealing pair of houses with a commercial element from the early 19th century, notable for distinctive original details such as multi-paned timber sash windows and an ornamental shop window. The building contributes significantly to the character of Salcombe and provides evidence of the town’s commercial development in the 19th century, having a strong historic setting on the main thoroughfare.