71a, Fore Street

71A Fore Street is a house in Buckfastleigh, likely originating from the 17th century, and is part of a single phase with No. 71. It has undergone later alterations, including changes to the windows in the late 18th or early 19th century. The exterior is stuccoed and possibly timber-framed, topped with an asbestos slate roof that has gabled ends. There is a lateral stack at the rear left with a rendered shaft and cast-iron rainwater goods.

The house has a single-depth plan, consisting of two rooms wide, with a likely secondary rear right wing associated with a court. The main block features two heated rooms separated by a through-passage that includes a winder stair at the rear. The right-hand passage partition has been removed, and the stack at the right end has also been taken out.

The exterior is two storeys high with a symmetrical two-window front. The central front door, which is from the 19th century, is half-glazed and recessed, with flush lower panels. The doorcase includes pilasters, an entablature, a moulded cornice on consoles, and panelled reveals with fielded panels. The right return of the house, which faces into the court, has a rear wing gabled to the court, partly built of brick, and features a side door.

Inside, there is a chamfered cross beam at the partition between the two ground-floor rooms, with the left-hand room containing an open fireplace with an iron lintel. The winder stair at the rear of the former passage has a lintel that likely comes from a blocked mullioned stair window. The first floor retains two-panel early 18th-century doors, and the principal rafters visible on this floor are straight. The walling of the passage leading to the rear service room is constructed of stud with stone rubble infill.