The Cherub

This is a merchant’s house, now a restaurant, likely dating from the second half of the 15th century, with restoration work carried out around 1958 for Cresswell Mullet by Blamey and Co. The construction is mixed, incorporating stone rubble for the rear and right (southern) party walls and cellar walls, with exposed timber-framed walls. A stone rubble stack sits within the right party wall, featuring a 19th-century brick chimneyshaft and old chimney pots. The roof is slate, with a low pitch and hipped to the left.

The main front, facing Higher Street, has a two-window façade with 20th-century replacement windows containing 20th-century leaded diamond panes. There are two ground-floor doorways, both with Tudor-style panelled doors, one at the right end and another in the centre. A four-light mullioned window sits between the doorways, and another is located to the left. First-floor windows are reproductions of 15th-century originals found in the side wall. The side (Hornhill) front also has a two-window arrangement; steps descend to a cellar with a Tudor-style panelled door set within a stone wall. The original 2-light windows with depressed trefoil heads under ogee arches are preserved on the first floor of the Hornhill elevation. The timber framing has been restored and retains significant original timber, with large framing sections and large, curving tension braces. Jetties project from the ends of the floor joists, supported by curved brackets built into corner posts and king studs. Carpenter's assembly marks in Latin numerals are visible on the timbers.

The cellar has plastered walls and a plain axial beam (running north-south), with replacement joists. Ground- and first-floor structures are exposed, showcasing main axial beams and dragon beams. While the ground-floor dragon beams and joists have been repositioned on top of the main beam to create sufficient headroom, most are believed to be original; mortises on the sides of the beam indicate a similar original joist pattern. The original arrangement of the second floor is more complete, including an original stair hatch near the north end, west of the axial beam. The newel stair is probably from the 17th century. Small fireplaces with plain oak lintels are present on each floor. The roof structure is likely 19th century. No. 13 Higher Street is the oldest complete house remaining in Dartmouth and one of the oldest townhouses in the southwest, contributing to a notable group of buildings.