Agincourt House

Merchant's house, now shops with workshop and flats above, located on Lower Street in Dartmouth.

The building has medieval origins with parts of the stone walls possibly dating to the 14th century. It was substantially rebuilt, probably in the mid-17th century, with some 18th and 19th century alterations. The house was restored around 1930-40 and modernised again in 1990.

Construction is mixed: limestone rubble forms the side and back walls, while the front and crosswalls are timber-framed, with some timberwork exposed, some plastered and some slate-hung. Stone rubble chimney stacks carry rendered 19th century brick chimneyshafts with original pots. The roofs are slate.

The plan follows a characteristic 17th century layout with front and back blocks separated by a courtyard, connected on the right (north) side by galleries at first and second-floor levels. The original front-block stack sits in the left sidewall, and the rear-block stack in the rear wall. The courtyard and both blocks are now divided into small shops at ground floor level.

The exterior presents three storeys and attics with a two-window first-floor range. Stone side walls are corbelled out to carry a deep first-floor jetty. A modern timber shop front with glazing bars flanks a central passage entrance. The projecting joists supporting the jettied first floor overhang a crossbeam (inserted in the 20th century) which is carved with a repeating 17th century-style pattern and supported on large timber posts.

The first floor displays exposed timber-framing. Only the outermost timbers are original 17th century work, featuring ogee-moulded details with small panels and including end styles from 17th century windows. The remainder comprises reused older timbers and modern mullion-and-transom windows with diamond panes of leaded glass. The second floor has similar 17th century-style oriel windows and is slate-hung. The roof, parallel to the street, contains a modern front flat-roofed dormer. The building projects further into the street than its neighbours. Modern windows with leaded glass include a single-light window at the first floor left, apparently framed with reused carved timbers, and both sides feature two-light windows with trefoil heads at the second floor.

Internally, most floors have large-scantling joists, mostly 17th century, though some are possibly reused or repositioned. The first-floor front joists are ovolo-moulded. 19th century replacements, such as those to the rear block attic, are easily distinguished. The ground floor is the most heavily restored; original and introduced timbers cannot easily be distinguished apart from the joists. All ground-floor fireplaces are likely 19th century. Upper floors retain good 17th century hooded fireplaces with shaped oak brackets to chamfered or ovolo-moulded and scroll-stopped oak lintels. A second fireplace on the second floor front dates from the second half of the 17th century, made of Dutch brick with curving back corners and a plain oak lintel. The front-block roof is a 19th century replacement, but the rear-block roof is 17th century, comprising three bays carried on A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars and threaded purlins. Other features, particularly the construction of the galleries, remain hidden.

Agincourt House is a rare and relatively well-preserved survival of the 17th century gallery-and-back-block type of town house, and is the only house remaining on the west side of Lower Street on the medieval frontage. Road widening has removed the rest.