The Dower House

The Dower House is a detached house dated 1664, located in Dowlish Wake village. It is constructed from ham stone that is cut and squared in diminishing depth of courses, with ashlar dressings. The roof is thatched, featuring a stepped coped west gable and a hipped east return, along with brick chimney stacks. The building has an 'L'-shaped plan and is two stories high.

On the exterior, there are four hollow-chamfered mullioned windows set in wave-mould recesses. The lower windows have labels, while the first-floor windows consist of 4, 4, 4, and 3 lights, with the third and fourth bays being restorations. The ground floor features a 5-light window spanning bays one and two, followed by a 4-light and a 3-light window. In the lower bay two, there is a 20th-century boarded door in a plain opening. Between the windows of the upper bays one and two, there is a datestone framed with a billet mould, inscribed with 'M/WC/1664'.

The west gable has a 3-light mullioned window with a label on the first floor, and there is a small extension at the north-west corner. A longer extension from the north-east corner includes one 2-light window without a label and connects to two farm buildings. Inside, the roof frame features closed collar trusses with wattle and daub infill, and there are two cambered fireplaces, although the ground floor example is mutilated. The interior has been considerably modified. The house was leased to female members of the Speke family during the later 18th century, which is how it got its name.