The Dower House

The Dower House is a detached house situated in South Petherton, Compton Durville. The core of the building dates to the later 17th century, with extensions added in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is constructed of ham stone ashlar with a plain clay tiled roof, coped gables, and ashlar chimney stacks.

The house is two storeys with an attic, originally five bays wide. The front facade features hollow-chamfered mullioned windows set into chamfered recesses, each with individual labels. Bays 1, 2, and 4 have a four-light window below and a three-light window above. The upper windows are within coped gable dormers, each topped with gabletted finials. Bay 5 appears to be a 20th-century addition with a plain chamfered-mullioned two-light window above and two single-light windows below, lacking labels. A chamfered cambered-arched doorway with a boarded door is in bay 3, accompanied by a small, unlabelled single-light window to the left and a rectangular leaded oculus window above. Other windows are rectangular leaded with iron-framed opening lights. Two-light mullioned windows are found in the east gable, while 20th-century metal windows are present in the west gable. A rear extension extends from the south-west corner.

The interior is reported to have a three-room cross passage plan, considerably modified. Surviving features include two cambered-arched fireplaces and a section of stud and panel partition. The roof is a complete replacement from a later date.