1, Fore Street

This is an early 17th-century house, possibly with earlier origins, located on Fore Street in North Tawton. It is constructed of rendered cob walls with a gable-ended thatched roof. A projecting rendered stone lateral stack with a brick shaft is visible, alongside a smaller brick shaft at the right end. Originally, the house had a 3-room-and-through-passage plan, with the lower end on the right, potentially featuring a later inserted gable-end fireplace. The hall was heated by a front lateral stack.

The exterior displays an asymmetrical 3-window front, dating back to the late 19th century, with circa late C19 6-pane sashes except for a 3-light 20th-century casement on the ground floor to the left. The ground floor also features a 20th-century partially glazed window and a 20th-century panelled door positioned to the right of centre.

The interior has been significantly modernised, obscuring many original features. A single rough beam is visible in the lower room, and it is believed there was a blocked staircase adjacent to the fireplace. Two early 18th-century fielded 6-panel doors remain. The roof trusses were mostly replaced, though one original 17th-century truss survives, exhibiting a collar halved on with a dovetail joint. This is one of the few early houses to have survived in the town centre, holding a prominent position.