The Old Coach House

The Old Coach House is a house with a shop, located in an island group in Lynton, dating from the late 18th century or early 19th century. It features rendered or whitewashed rubble and a slate roof. The building has an obtuse-angled shape, positioned across a steep slope, with the main range at the rear consisting of two storeys on a high basement stage.

The front elevation has two storeys and a one plus two-window arrangement. On the first floor, there is a two-light casement window in reveals on the angled section facing the street, followed by a 12-pane sash window set flush, and another two-light casement with glazing bars. The ground floor showcases a continuous plate-glass shop front from the late 19th century, which curves around to the left gable. It features a deep-set central doorway beneath the sash window bay and an additional four-panel door on the far right, set back. A continuous balcony extends across the set-back portion of the front, supported by square end pilasters and splat balusters, although it is mostly covered by a plain fascia. A photograph from 1929 shows a continuous balcony balustrade. The angled wing of the building has gable stacks.

At the rear, the building has four windows. The top floor includes two 16-pane sash windows and two 20th-century lights, above three deep two-light small-pane casements and an arched light that was formerly a doorway, set in a deep reveal. The left gable is plain, apart from the returned shopfront. The back of the building is straight and does not follow the angle of the street front, and it is elevated above the surrounding streets.

The interior is not accessible but is reported to retain nothing of special interest. Together with the adjacent Church Hill House, The Old Coach House contributes to an interesting streetscape opposite St Mary's Church. The two buildings occupy a complete triangular island block on a steep slope. A 1929 photograph shows the angled end being used as an advertising board for the Royal Castle Hotel and other matters.